Our Last Stand 2
by GAT-X105VividPanzer
Summary: It's not over yet! AKB0048 is aided by the new group Aqours to defend Earth against DES' latest attempt to destroy idols. Can this new group shine as bright as Muse?
1. Chapter 1

Chika Takami stretched her arms as she struggled to stay awake as she and her friend, You Watanabe, walked towards the school they go to, Uranohoshi Girls School.  
"Stayed up late again?" You asked her friend.  
"They were showing Muse's final live last night, you know!" Chika replied. "I had to see it. I bet Dia-san also stayed up late. You'll see!"  
"Oh, I'm sure she did!"  
You and Chika were greeted by their friend, the third year-slash-school director Mari Ohara. The blonde has a mischievous grin on her face. "I'll be sure to tease her when she arrives!"  
The three made their way towards the school.  
"By the way, isn't Riko-chan with you?" Mari asked Chika.  
"Oh, she went on ahead," Chika replied. "Something about composing a song."  
"Hmm. I guess she needs some quiet time to produce good music," You said.  
"Eh? Then why didn't she do it at home? It's pretty quiet there!" Chika exclaimed.  
"Well, she does have you as a neighbor," You replied.  
"Are you implying I'm noisy!?" Chika shouted.  
Mari laughed. "Well, considering you are shouting now, Chika-chi…"  
Chika caught herself. "Oh! But You-chan made me do it!"  
Finally they've reached the school.  
"We made it, with plenty of time to spare!" You said.  
"I guess we'll go check out how the two lovebirds are doing," Mari said, again with that grin.  
Chika looked clueless. "Lovebirds?"  
You covered her face with her palm. "Yoshiko-chan went on ahead of me. Something about demon rituals or something…"  
"Oh! Then the song will be about demon rituals?" Chika said.  
Mari couldn't hold her laughter. "Oh, Chika-chi. Sometimes I wish I had innocence like yours."  
Suddenly from the outside they could hear a strange sound. One they've never heard before…

KIMARIS BATTLESHIP, BRIDGE

"We've arrived at the location, sir," reported one of the crew.  
Captain Kirishima ran his hand through his jet black hair before putting on his captain's cap. "Let's do this. Time to accomplish what that fool Nakajima can't the last time. Today, we end idols! Launch our LAS!"  
Another bridge crew opened communications with the launch pad.  
"Alpha team, cleared for launch."  
"Roger that. This is Alpha One. Jahanam. Launching!"

URA GIRLS SCHOOL

Chika, You, and Mari ran outside.  
From behind they heard Riko and Yoshiko running as well.  
"What's happening?" Riko asked.  
"Could it be? The demons have awakened!" Yoshiko shouted.  
"It seems to be a bit more serious than that, Yoshiko-chan…" Mari said as she looked up into the sky and saw a giant battleship. A team of three robots launched from it, each one colored green, armed with a rifle and a shield adorned with a very familiar logo.  
"DES…"  
Chika had heard of them. They've attacked Tokyo before. But they have been defeated! What were they doing here!?  
The lead one started to open fire.  
Chika, Mari, You, Riko, and Yoshiko could only stare as the bullets started to travel toward them.  
That is, until another giant robot appeared, this time a black robot appeared. It looked taller than the other one. On its right arm was a rifle, and on its left is a huge brown shield, which it used to deflect the bullets before retaliating with its own weapon.  
The machine turned it' face to them and it's head opened, revealing a huge mooneye.  
"Are you girls okay?" a female voice said from inside the robot.  
"Er… yes, we are fine…" Chika managed to croak out.  
"Stay inside the building,"  
The robot flew high into the sky, engaging the three green robots. It was joined by two more robots of similar design, but instead of black, one was colored brownish red, and the other purple. Also instead of the huge brown shield, the red one had an axe in its left hand, while the purple one ditched the gun for a bazooka assembly that attaches to its shoulder.  
That was when Chika heard music.  
"It can't be…" Chika said.

 _In a corner of this world  
Like a mirage  
One day the field of our dreams  
Was suddenly born_

 _We changed into our jerseys  
And started our lessons  
We opened up our own way  
And cultivated our future_

The black and red robots worked in tandem with each other, with the red one engaging the enemies in close combat with it's axe while the black one used it's huge shield to block any attacks and retaliate if needed. The purple one provided cover fire and distracted the enemy team, preventing them from forming an effective counterattack. It seems that the trio has had experience working together before.

 _No one had any expectation over us_ _  
_ _We were just twentytwo seeds_ _  
_ _Until the day_ _  
_ _We would all bloom_

The red one was engaging the lead enemy robot, attacking it with furious swings from her axe. The enemy decided to follow suit, ditching his rifle and pulling out a beam axe of his own. The two clashed, and each combatant was trying to push the other away, until the red one got a kick in, pushing away the lead robot. It then followed it up with shots from it's gun. The shots didn't cause the suit to explode, rather it paralyzed it, stopping it but not killing the pilot.

 _We are the Team A!_ _  
_ _We are the pioneers_ _  
_ _March on, Team A_ _  
_ _We have to believe_

Sensing the advantage, the trio attacked the remaining two enemy units. The black one lead the way, using her huge shield to block the incoming bullets. The purple one then started firing her bazooka, causing the two enemy units to separate. Now away from each other, both the red and black ones took on the individual enemy units. _  
_ _Come on, let's bet on ourselves_ _  
_ _We have nothing to lose_ _  
_ _We are the Team A!_ _  
_ _We are the pioneers_ _  
_ _March on, Team A_ _  
_ _Let our sweat flow_ _  
_ _Now everything will begin_ _  
_ _Let's remember_ _  
_ _Once again_ _  
_ _How earnest we were_ _  
_"Amazing. They're pushing the DES team back!" Riko said.  
Finally, the outmatched DES team retreated to their mothership, the two remaining units recovering their fallen comrade before returning to their ship, and the ship warped out of the sky, leaving it as blue as before.  
The robot trio landed, and the cockpits opened, the three pilots getting out and stepping on the ground.  
The girls ran up to meet them.  
"Are you girls safe?" a girl with long black hair greeted them.  
Chika recognized the voice as the one that saved them earlier.  
"Oh yes, we're fine! Thank you for saving us."  
"It's nothing. I'm Ryuko Kanzaki by the way," the girl said, offering her hand.  
"Chika Takami!" Chika enthusiastically shook it.  
"And these are my friends! We're all part of an idol group called Aqours."  
"Idols, huh? Well, I hope you're all getting along well," Ryuko said.  
The redhead stepped up. "Kanata Shinonome."  
The purple-haired girl waved. "Hi! Mariko Shinoda the 8th here."  
"The 8th?" Yoshiko wondered.  
"Oh, you could say I've inherited my name," Mariko said.  
Before they could proceed with more introductions, they heard a familiar voice shout.  
"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!?"  
Dia Kurosawa walked towards the group, accompanied by her sister, Ruby. Hanamaru Kunikida and Kanan Matsuura were also with them.  
"Mari, looks like a movie set in here," she remarked.  
"Oh, Kanan! Well, it's a long story, I guess you could say," Mari replied.  
"Giant robots? Explosions?! There better be some explanations, I'm telling you!" Dia screamed.  
"What about this, then?"  
Ryuko, Kanata, and Mariko looked at the sky.  
"About damn time they arrived," Ryuko said.  
Launching from the ship is not a robot, but a single human, standing on a floating platform.  
Finally the girl landed and walked to Dia. She was short but full of energy.  
"We're sorry for the sudden introduction. My name is Takahashi Minami the 5th. You could call me Takamina for short." She looked around. "Thanks for coming ahead, you three," she said at Ryuko, Kanata, and Mariko.  
"No prob!" Kanata said. "Anything for you, Takamina-senpai!"  
Takamina smiled then looked at Aqours.  
"Aqours-san, I would like you all to meet AKB0048!" 


	2. Chapter 2

"It's the future, Zura!" Hanamaru said as the group walked through the hangar of the AKB0048 ship Katyusha. Lining the sides of the hangar were several large robots.  
"For once, Zuramaru, I agree with you…" Yoshiko said as she gaped at the large robots.  
"These are called Mobile Suits, although we also call them LAS," Takamina said as she led the group, followed by the trio of Ryuko, Kanata, and Mariko.  
"The suits you saw us use were called Grazes," Ryuko added. "Mine has that extra shield."  
"This is amazing," Chika said as she looked around.  
"Like something out of a movie!" You exclaimed.  
Ruby was looking around cautiously, afraid in this new environment, and Dia protectively walked in front of her as she asked her questions.  
"So. What just happened out there?"  
"As you could tell, there had been an attack on your school," Takamina replied.  
"I thought DES stopped all their attacks a long time ago," Kanan said.  
"We thought so too," Kanata said. "But we received a warning that DES wasn't done yet. Thankfully we arrived just in time."  
"How'd you find out they'd attack here though?" Riko questioned them.  
"Now that, I can't tell you," Takamina said. "You likely wouldn't believe us."  
"Oh, is that so?" Dia replied with skepticism in her voice. "Try me. We are in a ship with giant robots, the school I am the student council president in was just attacked by a military force from the future, and now you tell me that I wouldn't believe you."  
"Well, ummm…"  
"What's that?" Chika pointed at a robot hidden in one side of the hangar. It was colored mostly white, with some blue, red and yellow thrown in. It's head was adorned by a V-Fin.  
"Oh, that. That's something that belongs to someone you are all very familiar with. Honoka Kousaka's Gundam Barbatos."  
"This was… Honoka-san's!?" Chika said.  
"Oh god, this is too awesome for words! The robot used by none other than Honoka Kousaka, the leader of Muse…" Dia was practically gushing but stopped when she noticed Mari hiding a laugh and Kanan smiling.  
"What!? You're fans too, you know! You should feel something too!"  
"Now, now. You'll have time to ogle the Barbatos later. As you know, Honoka is currently not with us, so we just keep it for her. Come on, lets' proceed to the briefing room."  
As they left, Chika took one last glance at the giant robot before following the group.

KATYUSHA-BRIEFING ROOM

Tsubasa Katagiri waited patiently at the small room for Takimina to bring in Aqours. She opened a monitor and saw them making their way past the hangar.  
"It begins again, huh…"  
She closed her eyes a bit.  
"You still care for us, do you, Acchan…."  
The elusive Maeda Atsuko the 13th appeared before practice a week ago.  
 _"Acchan?" What are you doing here?"  
Tsubasa immediately ran from her vantage point at the back of the studio to the front where Acchan appeared, surrounded by a brilliant light.  
"Tsubasa, it's going to start again…"  
"Star_ _t_ _again? What do you mean?" Tsubasa asked.  
"Another attack.. this time in a school by the sea. Be vigilant…."  
At once Acchan disappeared, leaving the confused AKB members looking at each other.  
Tsubasa was already barking orders. "Contact the people we assigned as guards back in that time, tell them to search for this school! The rest of you, prepare for combat!"  
_"Tsubasa-san?"  
Tsubasa opened her eyes and saw Takamina leading a group of nine people into the room. Tsubasa stood and up and greeted them. "Welcome to the battleship Katyusha. I trust Takamina has given you a short tour?"  
"It's the future, zura!" Hanamaru exclaimed.  
Tsubasa laughed. "Well, we are from the future, after all. You're not wrong."  
"So, as to the attack…" Dia started, wanting to get down to business immediately.  
"I'm sure Takamina told you we've received a warning about it," Tsubasa said. "I've alerted the agents we left in this time about this, but they're currently far away from our location. You needn't worry though, we'll keep you safe."  
"Is it truly the end? The demons have risen!" Yoshiko said.  
"Is she always like that?" Takamina asked.  
"Well, yes…" Riko replied.  
"Oh! Riko-chan defending her girlfriend!" Mari said.  
"Mari-san!"  
"Mari-san is just jealous, Riri, of the contract we share!" Yoshiko said.  
"Oh please. I have Kanan!"  
Kanan blushed. "Hey, why bring me into this!?"  
Tsubasa facepalmed.  
Takamina moved closer to her and whispered. "They're not so different from us, huh."  
"Indeed."  
"Hey, what's all that commotion about?"  
A new figure entered the room; a brown-haired girl with her hair tied to a side ponytail.  
"Wait, are you Honoka-" Dia said before stopping herself.  
"Oh, I get that a lot," the girl replied. "I'm Yuuko Ooshima the 9th. Nice to meet you! Honoka Kousaka is my senpai though."  
Chika and Dia gave her a strange look. "Really?"  
Yuuko raised her hands. "Give me a break, time travel is wonky…"  
"Yep, you can bet," Mari said.  
"Huh?" You looked at Mari. "What do you mean by that?"  
Mari paused then spoke again in that jokester tone of voice again. "Surely you've seen the movies, You-chan! Or at least Madoka Magica!"  
"You should lay off of on anime, Mari," Kanan said. "Won't help your grades."  
"But I'm the director! They can't fail me. Plus you're there to support me!" Mari said, grabbing Kanan's arm.  
Takamina shook her head. "Alright, alright, the atmosphere here is getting a little romantic."  
She nodded at Yuuko. "Mind guiding them out of the ship and back? I'm sure their families must be worried."  
"Of course, leave it to me!" Yuuko said. "Come on guys!"

DES BATTLESHIP KIMARIS  
"Stealth cloak working at 100% capacity," reported one of the bridge crew.  
"Good, good," Kirishima said as he got up and exited the bridge to head for his quarters.  
As he walked to his room he pondered on the earlier battle.  
He certainly didn't expect AKB0048 to interfere with his attack. The team he has sent out was too small to handle an attack by the notorious idol group, so he retreated.  
However, his mind was on the video footage of the girls that they attacked.  
 _So these are the new idols that can bring forth another victory for that damned 00….  
_ He entered his room and opened up his computer, pulling up the video footage.  
He played with it a bit, until he zoomed it in and noticed something.  
"My, my. Fate is such a weird thing, isn't it…."  
Kirishima looked at a picture frame next to his computer, showing a younger him with a group of friends. His eyes focused on a certain scientist whose life was lost in battle.  
"Your work is not done yet, Shimada…" 


	3. Chapter 3

URANOHOSHI SCHOOL GROUNDS

It was just as well that class was suspended when giant robots attack Uranohoshi, otherwise the small aircraft landing would have attracted too much attention.  
"You can land in the back of the school," Mari said from the back of the small craft.  
"Look, there's a nicely sized clearing!" Ryuko said from the pilot's seat.  
"It looks like it was made for landing aircraft!" Kanata added.  
"Are you guys enjoying it there in the back?" Mariko asked as she looked at the cramped space.  
The nine members of Aqours were cramped in the back.  
"I think so, yes… is everyone okay?" Kanan asked. She, Mari and Dia were stuffed in the craft's back seats.  
"Yeah, let's just… land, please," Chika said.  
"I'm more used to the sea than the air, I'll give you that," you added.  
The craft landed and the passengers and crew disembarked.  
Mariko looked around. "This place looks so different from Tokyo," she said.  
"But you have to agree, it has it own charm," Ryuko replied. "It seems a lot more peaceful here."  
Kanata had a thoughtful look on her face. "But if DES continues their attack…"  
They all threw glances at the Aqours members who have gotten down from the aircraft.  
"We made it back!" Ruby said.  
"Amazing! We just came from the future, zura!" Hanamaru shouted.  
"We get it, Zuramaru. The future. But, special being such as myself isn't so surprised about it! After all, I came from the depths of hell after all!" Yoshiko said.  
"You looked just as surprised as we are," Hanamaru said in a teasing voice.  
"We-well, that was just-"  
"Don't be shy, Yocchan, I know you were just as excited as we were," Riko said as she approached the first years.  
"Ri-Riri! Well, I guess you could says that…" Yoshiko mumbled.  
Kanata looked around.  
"It really does look like this area was cleared."  
"Oh, that's because I use it," Mari said.  
"You.. use it?" Mariko repeated.  
"Yes! I have a helicopter!"  
Ryuko laughed. "No, really. You have a helicopter!?"  
Mari puffed her cheeks. "You'll see. It's not joke!"  
"Anyway, what's the plan now?" Dia asked. "I don't think DES will leave us alone."  
"Yeah, we think so, too," Kanata replied. "We do plan to keep watch on you guys, but we need a way that won't raise too much suspicion."  
Mari's face brightened up. "Oh! I have an idea! Let's enroll you as students here!"  
"Indeed, that may work," Kanata said. "But what about the paperwork and stuff?"  
"Follow me to the director's office!" Mari said with a wink. "Dia, you too! The rest of you should go back to your homes."  
"Great idea," Chika said. "I think my sister is already worried."  
As they walked towards the school Kanata wondered why Dia was facepalming herself while Chika and You look like they could barely control their laughter.

"Well, here we are. But where is he?"  
Ryuko looked around. Aside from their group, the office was empty. No one else was there.  
So it was to her surprise that Mari took the director's seat, grabbed some papers from a drawer and placed them on the desk.  
"Here, fill up these papers and I'll take care of the rest."  
"Wait, what!?" Kanata approached the desk. "Look, this isn't the time to be joking-"  
"It's not joke, really!" Mari said with a grin on her face. "I am the school director for Uranohoshi!"  
"Come now, you're just a student," Ryuko said.  
"What Mari-san is saying is true," Dia finally said with an annoyed look on her face. "She installed herself as director when she returned to study here."  
Ryuko, Mariko, and Kanata had looks of disbelief on their faces.  
"Really."  
"Really! My family donated money to this school, so I got to be director, see?"  
Mari got another piece of paper from the drawer and showed it to them. It was the letter appointing her as the school director.  
"Unbelievable," Kanata said.  
"My, how interesting!" Mariko exclaimed.  
"Honoka-san didn't tell me her time was this weird," Ryuko said.  
"Trust me when I say that this isn't the norm," Dia replied.  
"Either way it makes you guarding us so much easier, won't you agree?" Mari asked.  
"There's no denying that…" Mariko said.  
"Well then, if that's the case can you enroll a few more of us?" Kanata asked.  
"What are you thinking, Kanata?" Ryuko said.  
"Well, us three, we can go to the third year class. But to watch the second and first years, I think we need to ask help from the other members of NO NAME."  
"NO NAME? What's that?" Mari asked.  
"Oh, it's an idol unit we formed," Kanata replied. "It's formed of me, Mariko, and six other people. Ryuko here is our honorary member."  
"The more the merrier!" Mari said. She grabbed more papers from the drawer.  
"There, have them fill this up! Don't' worry about a thing now, I'll take care of it."

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA  
"Nothing suspicious here."  
"Thank you. Keep watch there and we'll call you as soon as things go south," Tsubasa replied.  
She had just finished communicating with their agents, who so far have reported nothing strange going on.  
"This certainly is strange… DES isn't making a move yet. I can't help but feel they're planning something…"  
"Worried?"  
Tsubasa saw Takamina enter the bridge.  
"Oh, Takamina… I guess so. We're not so sure what DES is after this time."  
"Don't worry. I know we can do it. Plus I've watched some of those girl's performances," Takamina replied. She pulled out her phone and showed Tsubasa a video.  
"They have potential…"  
"Reminds you so much of Muse, doesn't it?" Takamina said.  
"Yes… I have high hopes for them, too."


	4. Chapter 4

Kanata stood in front of the mirror, wearing the Uranohoshi school girls uniform.  
"Is this really a great idea?"  
"Of course it is!" Sonata said.  
Kanata looked at her little sister, who right now was very excited.  
Kanata was happy for her; since they came from a war torn planet they had little in the way of formal education and never really experienced going to school.  
She sighed as turned in the mirror.  
 _Well, I guess it'll do. It's not so bad to experience peace, every once in a while._

The members of No Name, now in schoolgirl uniforms, stood in the principal's office, Mari facing them.  
"Excellent! They all fit! As expected of my accuracy in measurement and You-chan's skills in sewing!" Mari said, smirking at how the body measurement went just a few days ago. "Now I hope you enjoy your stay in our humble school," Mari said with a smile.  
"Also, don't mind Dia too much. She's just a stickler for the rules, and that's no fun."  
It seems Mari couldn't resist taking a jab at her childhood friend, who was standing beside her.  
Dia took the bait. "As if you're one to talk! I still can't believe you're the school director!"  
"Umm, excuse me."  
The door opened and Kanan walked inside.  
"Class is about to start. You two," she said to Dia and Mari, "come on. Let's go."  
"Of course, Kanan!" Mari said.  
"Fine, Kanan-san," Dia added.  
Now that they have been left alone in the room, Kanata started giving out some last minute instruction.  
"Mariko, Ryuko, with me, to the third years. Acchan, Chieri, Yuuka, Orine, Makoto, second. Suzuko, Sonata, first. Got it?"  
Kanata waited for everyone to acknowledge before continuing.  
"Our Successor senpais are patrolling the town, too, so don't be nervous, and… enjoy, I guess," Kanata said.  
Ryuko laughed and patted her friend's back.  
"Ease up a bit. You're still too stiff. See, your sister already rushed out and is going to her classroom."  
"Wait, what—" Kanata realized Sonata was not here.  
"Sonata, get back here! I still haven't finished- oh, what the hell. You're right. Let's go, Mariko, Ryuko," Kanata said, beckoning the two.  
"Let's do our best too!" Acchan said.  
"We can do this," Yuuka said, "We had school experience, remember?"  
"Right. What's the worst that could happen?"

LUNCHBREAK, URANOHOSHI GIRLS SCHOOL  
In the midst of preparing for going to school, the NO NAME girls forgot one thing; they really hadn't studied much in terms of academics for the past year or so.  
All the NO NAME members are in the rooftop along with the Aqours members, all of them eating lunch, with the respective year levels sitting in different areas of the rooftop.  
"That was hard! I've forgotten how much I hated math," Yuuka said.  
"Yeah, it was difficult! I knew this wasn't such a good idea!" Makoto added.  
"I know, right!" Chika nodded vigorously. "Math sucks!"  
"You wouldn't be saying that, Chika-chan, if you took studying a bit seriously," Riko said.  
"I am! I ask You-chan for help, but it's too hard for her too!" Chika said.  
"Maybe you should ask Yocchan for help. She's surprisingly good at this," Riko said.  
Yoshiko, upon hearing her name being called, broke free from the first year group and approached.  
"You called, Riri?" Yoshiko said, sitting beside Riko and latching herself onto Riko's arm.  
"Ah, Yocchan, not here, there are people watching!"  
"It seems the two of you are very close," Chieri observed.  
"Being with Riri is the best!" Yoshiko said. "Plus I was starting to get bored there anyway. Sonata-san keeps amusing Zuramaru with stories about your time, Zuramaru is always like 'It's the future, zura!'"  
"So, can I ask about your time, Acchan-san?" Chika asked.  
"Aww, not here too!" Yoshiko said. She was about to stand up but Riko stopped her.  
"Stay with me a bit, okay?" Riko said.  
Chieri decided to answer. "Well, I think we've already told you that entertainment is banned. But we were formed to combat that."  
"As in fight, right?" You said.  
Acchan nodded. "On our first real training we were made to fight against DES. Of course it was just a simulation, but they didn't tell us at the start and it was really scary."  
Yuuka agreed. "But then we realized how our singing can affect others."  
Acchan continued. "I think, our singing, it can help bring peace…"  
she related to them the story of how their singing was able to save the planet of Akibastar.  
"Interesting," Riko said.  
"I didn't know music had such dark properties! It must be magic!" Yoshiko said.  
While the others laughed, Acchan only smiled. "You know, I kind of believe that. I hope that our music can make an even bigger difference in the future, and I guess you can call that magic."

The third years and the three older NO NAME members were seated together watching the scene unfold.  
"So I take it three of you are close friends, huh?" Kanan said.  
"Well, yes," Kanata said.  
"We've been through a few rough spots though," Mariko added.  
"Rough my ass, just spit it out," Ryuko said. "I was recruited by DES after I had a falling out with AKB, and it took my friends beating me up for me to turn back."  
"Oh. Well, we are not as… harsh as that, but we had a bit of a falling out too," Kanan said.  
"It was hard, losing the two of you as friends," Dia said to Mari and Kanan.  
"Aww, so you did miss me, Dia!" Mari said, giving her friend a hug.  
"Don't push it, Mari-san," Dia said.  
Mari pouted. "You're no fun, Dia…" She broke free of the hug and hugged Kanan instead. "Kanan is much more fun!"  
"Ahaha…" Kanan laughed but didn't break free from Mari's grip. 

It was a peaceful scene. Classes have ended, and they were all at the rooftop, with NO NAME watching Aqours practice for their next live. They always did, both as an extracurricular activity and a way to bond as a group of nine.  
"Bring back memories, doesn't it?" Yuuka sighed as she said so.  
"… Yeah," Orine agreed and linked arms with her blonde best friend.  
They were all smiling while watching Aqours perform. It was indeed as peaceful day.  
Mysteriously though, they saw something glistening, approaching them in a fast rate. At first they found it amusing, but it was not.  
Kanata recognized what it was first.  
"Type-2 Missile!"  
The girls met impact, but were not prepared to cope with it. The missile popped out smoke, so much that the rooftop was filled with smoke. Then, a loud chopping sound of a helicopter could be heard. After that, heavy feet met the ground.  
The girls coughed in response to the excessive smoke. "What is this?" Nagisa asked no one in particular, in between coughs.  
"DES?!"  
A male voice shouted.  
"Grab that one!"  
Then they heard a scream, the Aqours members realized who it was.  
"Riko-chan!"  
"Riri!"  
They all faced towards the voice and was ready to rescue, but they were met by real bullets which only grazed them. NO NAME intercepted the bullets well, but were too stunned to chase after the men.  
As the smoke cleared, the DES members were already leaving the area, leaving only the members of Aqours and NO NAME.  
All except Riko Sakurauchi.


	5. Chapter 5

The members of NO NAME, Aqours, and Tsubasa Katagiri were all in the Katyusha's bridge.  
The crew members at the bridge were monitoring the surroundings, but so far after that initial attack they had not detected any movements.  
"Hey, what happened to RIko-chan? Hey!" Chika was shaking Nagisa's shoulders.  
"Will Riko-chan be safe?" Ruby asked as Hanamaru tried to comfort her.  
"Where is Riri? Those DES fools, they will suffer the wrath of hell!"  
Yoshiko had her hand in a fist and was already shaking it. It was clear she wasn't taking this well.  
"Does DES usually do things like this?" Dia said.  
"I wouldn't put it past DES, although I've never taken part in such an operation," Ryuko said.  
"That's because you're lucky you were assigned under me."  
The door to the bridge opened and Nakajima, former DES Captain and now adviser aboard the Katyusha, entered.  
"Tsubasa-san, I'm sure they have Sakurauchi-san held in their ship somewhere near the vicinity. We have to save her fast before DES…"  
Nakajima stopped and glanced at Ryuko.  
Ryuko reached behind her back and touched the small port that's attached there.  
"What's that?" Kanan asked.  
"It's nothing," Ryuko replied as Mari approached her and tapped her back.  
"Hey, what-"  
"Come on now, no secrets!" Mari said.  
Ryuko backed off immediately before Mari can inspect her back more.  
"Let her go, Mari," Kanan said.  
"Oh all right," Mari replied.  
"I've got a transmission from DES!" one of the bridge crew said.  
The screen turned on and a man wearing a DES uniform appeared.  
"So it's him, huh…." Nakajima gritted his teeth.  
The man on the screen took notice of him.  
"The traitor! You're here. Well, you're too soft. Not me. As you can see with what I just did."  
"What do you did is just cowardly," Nakajima replied. "You have no honor-"  
"What matters is the results," the man said with a satisfied smile.  
Tsubasa stepped forward.  
"I'm Tsubasa Katagiri, of AKB048. What do you want?"  
"I'm Captain Kirishima, of the ship Bael. Accompanying me is the Bael's sister ship, the Kimaris.  
IT's simple-surrender to us, or we hurt the girl," Kirishima said.  
"Do anything funny, we'll blow up the school," he added. "I'll be deploying suits after this to make sure no funny business. We will expect your surrender in the next 24 hours. That is all."  
The screen went blank afterwards as the transmission was cut off.  
"So we wants to blow up my school? Not shiny!" Mari said.  
"Tsubasa-san!" she said. "Make sure that you get Riko-chan back. And not blow up my school. Can I ask for a lift back to Uranohoshi? I need to organize an evacuation."  
"Of course," Tsubasa said. "Sae, get some transport for Mari-san. Takamina, Kanata, Dia-san, with me. We need to plan something."

Yoshiko was sitting in the Katyusha's canteen, staring at the glass of juice she was holding.  
"Riri…"  
"Why so glum, zura?"  
Hanamaru sat down next to Yoshiko, with Ruby right next to her.  
"Of course I'm worried," Hanamaru said. "But AKB is doing their best to plan for our next step."  
"Plus my Onee-chan is helping out too!" Ruby said. "They needed someone with knowledge of the school to help plan."  
"Ruby… Zuramaru…" Yoshiko looked at her friends at right now was pretty grateful that she had these two right now to support her.  
"Awww, she's really touched, zura." Hanamaru teased.  
"Fallen angels do not get touched!" Yoshiko said.  
"I bet Riko-san touches you every day though," Hanamaru said.  
"Who told you that-it was Mari, wasn't it? Tell me?"  
Hanamaru and Ruby laughed as Yoshiko tried to ask them where they got such information.

Chika and You were in the MS hangar, standing on the railing that goes on the sides of the walls.  
"Riko-chan helped me a lot when we made Aqours," Chika said. "Although she wasn't into it at first."  
"Yeah, I remembered," You replied. "Now she's really enjoying it. For DES to do something like this…"  
"I want to help her," Chika said. "I can't bear sitting her and doing nothing."  
"Same here, but what can we do? We really can't fight DES by ourselves."  
"Is that so?"  
The two of them saw Yuuko standing right behind them, grinning.  
"Well, then, I've got the treat just for the two of you."

Tsubasa nodded as Dia explained the school's layout.  
They had already confirmed that DES has sent three Jahanam mobile suits on the ground near the school to guard it. The plan would require sneaking into Uranohoshi and to do that they need the knowledge of someone who is very familiar with the place.  
"Well, that's all," Dia said.  
"Thanks for the information," Tsubasa said.  
"Well, in that case, we'd need a small team to infiltrate the school…." Takamina said.  
"And we'd need a MS team to distract DES while we save Riko-san," Kanata said.  
"Is the Rebake ready to be deployed again?" Tsubasa asked.  
"It wasn't easy putting that back together after what happened before, but yes, it's operational. Ryuko says she can do it," Takamina said.  
"Of course we'll back her up using the Graze units," Kanata said.  
"I hope that everything goes as we planned," Tsubasa said. "Well, that is all. You are all dismissed, it's time to prepare for this mission."

DES BATTLESHIP BAEL

Riko sat in the cell, alone.  
 _Why have they taken me?_ Riko thought.  
A clang on the metal bars on her cell disrupted her thoughts.  
A soldier was outside.  
"Come on. We're going somewhere."  
Riko immediately cowered in fear.  
"Going somewhere?"  
"Oh, don't worry. You'll just be… interrogated. About your knowledge of AKB."  
"I don't know anything!" Riko said.  
She feared that DES might kill her once the interrogation fails to yield relevant results. Then again, they might kill her regardless of the result, anyway.  
"the Captain says you do. Either way, just following orders."  
The soldier unlocked the cell and handcuffed Riko, leading her to the interrogation room.  
As she was being dragged there, Riko could only silently pray.  
 _"Help me… Yocchan…"_


	6. Chapter 6

URANOHOSHI GIRLS SCHOOL

Night had fallen.  
The school, being held hostage by DES, is surrounded by four Jahanam units.  
Takamina and Kanata were sitting in the nearby trees, waiting.  
"We never do get a rest," Kanata said.  
"You're right," Takamina replied. "Say, after all this is over, want to go on vacation?"  
"Oh, I know! The beach planet, Philippinestar!"  
"Why not?" Takamin said. "But they changed it to Boracaystar. Something about copyright."  
"Huh, really? I didn't know that," Kanata said.  
Suddenly there was a commotion inside the school.  
"That must be them," Takamina said.  
Earlier a small team consisting of Mayuyu, Sayaka, and Yuuko had infiltrated the school using a basement passageway, and now they should be raising hell inside the school.  
"That's our cue."  
Takamina and Kanata parted ways. The Jahanams were confused, wondering what do do. They had to act fast.  
Kanata headed straight for one of the Jahanams and used her grappling hook, zipping straight to the chest area and forcing the cockpit open.  
"Hey! What-"  
"Sorry," Kanata said as she shot the man with a stun gun, paralyzing him. Kanata took control of the Jahanam and put the man down on the ground.  
"Great work, Kanata," Takamina said. She too, has acquired another Jahanam.  
"Now let's destroy the other two," Kanata said.  
She attacked one of the Jahanams, aiming only for the limbs, but her opponent Jahanam was fast. Kanata decided to drop her gun, and pulled her axe, dragging her opponent close for a melee.  
She brought the axe down on the Jahanam's right arm, severing it-and the gun it was holding.  
She then kicked the Jahanam to the ground, pointing her axe at it.  
The other Jahanam opened it's cockpit and it's pilot surrendered.  
Takamina had also finished as well.  
"School is secured," Takamina radioed back to the Katyusha. 

DES BATTLESHIP KIMARIS  
"So they made their move, as expected," Kirishima said.  
"Send out our mobile suit team," he ordered. He pressed a button to contact the hangar.  
The on-screen display showed a metal walkway, with a pilot walking towards the unit as some techs explained some last minute details.  
"What about or new unit? Is the suit ready for combat?"  
One of the techs looked up and shook his head.  
"Give us a few more minutes, we have to make some last minute adjustments."  
"Last minute adjustments? I thought that unit was ready a few days ago!"  
"You have to understand," the tech replied, "that we have to adjust it for the pilot, sir."  
Kirishima shook his head. "Fine. Just hurry it up as best as you can."  
"Mobile suit teams deploying, sir," one of the bridge crew reported.  
"Have the long range units near our ship, and send the other ones forward. Destroy that school!"

KATYUSHA BATTLESHP  
"Here they come," Tsubasa said.  
"You ready everyone?" she asked.  
"More than ready," Mariko replied.  
"Guys, Takamina-san and Kanata are already in the field, so let's do our best to support them, okay?"  
Tsubasa nodded and pressed another button to talk specifically to two units-the two new Shidens that have been developed recently. Easily piloted and versatile in combat, it was the perfect unit to assign to two new pilots-Aqours' own Chika Takami and You Watanabe.  
When the rest of Aqours learned about it, they wanted to join as well, but they have so few units. If only they had more.  
"I'm sure you two have trained hard for this," Tsubasa said. "But real combat is different."  
"We're ready!" Chika said. "This is to help Riko-chan. We need to do the best we can!"  
"Yeah, same here! Yousoro!" You added, making a salute.  
"Alright. Godspeed, you too."  
As the units launched, Ryuko stepped right next to her.  
"You're not launching yet?" Tsubasa asked.  
"Just some final preparations," Ryuko said. "I've heard rumors about that DES ship, that is has a Gundam Frame. So I had to add some additional equipment to my unit."  
"Tsubasa-san, the battle has started!" a bridge crew alerted.  
"We are facing some unknown new enemy units!"  
"Not the ones from before?" Tsubasa asked. "Bring me a visual!"  
The screen displayed a suit much like the Graze, but with different armor.  
"Tsubasa-san, these units are faster and stronger than the previous ones DES used!" Takamina reported.  
"I've heard of something like that," Ryuko said. "An experimental unit. It was still in the planning stages when we left DES. I believe the unit is called the Reginlaze."  
Tsubasa glanced at another screen.  
 _Still no update from the infiltration team…_

"Here they come, Chika-chan!"  
Chika raised the huge Riot Shield of Shiden as the Reginlaze in front of her attacked using it's gunblade. Chika pushed the Reginlaze back, and You followed it up by shooting at it.  
"Nice work, girls."  
Chika and You saw a Jahanam flying alongside them-Takamina, in the unit she took from DES.  
"I see Yuuko trained you well."  
"Ahahaha, thanks…" Chika said.  
"Chika-chan, behind us!"  
You raised her shield to block the attack, and quickly stored her gun in favor of the Shiden's main weapon, the partisan. Charging forward You attacked the Reginlaze, which countered by blocking with it's gunblade. Discarding the shield for better mobility, You gripped the partisan with two hands as she fought the enemy.  
Chika, not to be outdone, focused on shooting the approaching enemies and using her shield as an impromptu melee weapon, bashing the opponent with it.  
"Just you wait, Riko-chan! We're coming for you!"

In the inside of the infiltrated DES Ship, a small group consisting of Yuuka, Orine, Sonata, as well as Kanan were trying their best to look for Riko.  
"Damn this place, the layout is so hard to figure out!" Yuuka said.  
"Calm down," Orine replied." "Come on, we've searched this area. Let's go to the next one."  
Kanan looked around the ship, wondering where Riko is. It was decided that an Aqours member should be with the rescue team to help Riko, and Kanan volunteered for it. After all, Riko was a good friend of her two childhood friends,Chika and You.  
 _Where are you, Riko?_


	7. Chapter 7

_Advance forward! (Got it!)_ _  
_ _Don't you dare to halt! (Got it!)_ _  
_ _Our aim is that place where the sun rise_ _  
_ _Walk on the path of hope!_

Dia looked outside from the Ohara mansion, which Mari insisted where they all hide.  
 _Well, the place does look well built,_ Dia thought. She looked at the room they were in now, which was probably used to receive guests.  
As the fight raged on she could hear the members of AKB singing "River."  
She wished that she, too, was fighting outside, but AKB didn't have enough resources to train all of them.  
"Wish you were outside?"  
She saw Mari standing beside her.  
"Of course! How can I stand here and do nothing?" Dia replied.  
"You've done your part," Mari answered. "Now we just leave it up to them."  
"Don't worry! They can do it!" Ruby encouraged.  
"Yeah, even if they are facing robots from the future!" Hanamaru added.  
Dia had to smile. Her sister always tries to cheer her up.  
She walked towards Ruby and gave her a pat on the head.  
"Thanks, Ruby. Where's Yoshiko-san?"  
Hanamaru pointed to a corner of the room, where Yoshiko was just sitting.  
"She really worries for Riko-san…" Dia said.

AKB0048 SHIP KATYUSHA

"Hurry up with the resupply!"  
Takamina and Kanata returned to the Katyusha to get their custom Grazes. "Keep those Jahanams though. We might need them for parts."  
Both Takamina and Kanata were standing on the metal walkways attached on the walls of the hangar, waiting for the suits to be prepared.  
A team of mechanics has prepared Takamina's custom Graze, which was colored a different shade of green and hand the shoulder bazooka equipped. It also has a booster on the back that increased it's agility on the battlefield.  
She looked at Kanata's unit, a more simple custom that changed the color of the unit to red, and it has a shorter rifle for better use in close combat.  
"Takamina-san!" Kanata approached Takamina and gave her a bottle of water.  
"Thanks," Takamina said.  
"I'm nervous," Kanata said. "I get the feeling DES hasn't revealed their full strength for this battle."  
"They're probably saving it, just like with me."  
Ryuko approached them drinking a bottle of water.  
"Ryuko! You're still here?" Kanata asked.  
"Just some last minute adjustments to the Rebake," Ryuko said. "You know how we had to piece this thing back together in one piece, it isn't in the best shape right now."  
"In any case, that means we need to get back out there now," Takamina said as she moved toward her Graze.  
"Ryuko? Takamina? Kanata?"  
Tsubasa's voice can be heard over the ship's loudspeaker.  
"We can hear you, Tsubasa-san," Takamina said.  
"You need to get out now, DES has launched two new units! Yuuko is…"  
Takamina's face darkened. "What is this about Yuuko?"

"Tch, they're tough!" Yuuko said.  
She looked over at Chika and You, who, she was pleased to note, were performing well.  
 _Well that's no surprise. After all, I taught them,_ Yuuko thought with a grin as she fended off another Reginlaze with her Graze, painted in a combination of light brown and red. And while Takamina's was optimized for range, Yuuko's was for close combat, coming with a sword in one hand and a short rifle on the other.  
"This battle is just heating up!" She said. "Let's show those DES people what we are made of!"

 _Just before your very eyes_ _  
_ _A river is flowing_ _  
_ _Broadly, such a great river_ _  
_ _Darkly, deeply, even so_ _  
_ _The current is fast, even so_ _  
_ _Do not be scared, OK?_ _  
_ _Do not wander off_ _  
_ _That's right, the opposite side is there_ _  
_ _So more, believe in yourself_

Acchan and Chieri were fending off Reginlaze attacks back to back.  
"It never ends!" Chieri said.  
"What about the infiltration team?" Acchan asked.  
"They're still looking for her," Chieri replied.  
"Wait, look. Something's coming out of the DES ship!" Acchan said.  
Indeed the hangar was opening. And something was coming out. Something big…

You and Chika had wandered close to the DES ship in the confusion.  
"Ah, this is bad, Chika-chan! We have to get back!" You said.  
"Yeah, I think so too… look, what's happening?"  
You and Chika didn't have time to react as they saw a huge dragonic unit charge towards them.  
IT had very long legs and plenty of thrusters all over. On it's arms were two swords.  
Flying alongside it was a purple mobile suit which, Chika thought, looked like a gundam. It was carrying a huge lance.  
"A special unit?" You said.  
The dragon took notice of them and attacked, firing at them from the huge shoulder binders it has. You, who has thrown away her riot shield, hid behind Chika and her shield.  
However the dragon was not done, as one of it's swords extended, like a whip, and wrapped around the shield, ripping it off-and the arm that was attached to it-entirely.  
"No!" Chika shouted, fearful for her life.  
"Chika-chan!" You flew in front of Chika, the partisan in hand in what was likely would be a futile attempt to block the giant suit.  
The dragon used it's second sword, slicing in two the partisan You was holding. As she was trying to reach for her second weapon, the bladed bat stored on her backpack, the dragon rushed forward and it's long legs actually split, with the lower leg half attaching to the huge leg binders, revealing a claws on it's knees. The dragon clamped onto the hand of You's shiden and raised it's sword.  
"Stay away from You-chan!" Chika said, firing her gun.  
The dragon suddenly paused and instead of proceeding with it's attack, it just kicked them away, joining it's purple comrade in attacking the main force.  
"You two were lucky."  
"Yuuko-san?" Chika said.  
"I bet the pilot decided small fry like you don't matter. Now get out of the field, you can't fight with suits like those now!"  
"Y-yes…" You and Chika's hearts were still racing because of that close encounter, but they followed the order.

"Now, about time… Mayuyu, Sayaka, with me!" Yuuko ordered. "Acchan, Chieri, take care of the purple one!"  
"Understood!" Chieri said. "Let's go, Acchan!"

"What unit is that?" Acchan asked.  
"Our database found a match based on the frequencies the reactor emits," Chieri said. "It is a gundam frame. Kimaris…"  
The Gundam Kimaris charged forward with it's lance, ripping off the arm of Chieri's Graze.  
"Chieri!"  
Unfazed, Chieri kept firing at the fast moving GUndam.  
Acchan joined in the fire, trying ot hit the Kimaris, but it was moving at such high speed.  
The Kimaris was closing now, intending on using it's lance to impale them. Acchan and CHieri dodged the attack.  
"So it's a one-trick pony," Acchan said.  
"Yeah, but with that kind of speed, it'll be hard to keep dodging it," Chieri added.

"Missile barrage Mayuyu!"  
Mayuyu's Graze, a light blue color, has not just the bazooka shoulder amor, but a missile pod on it's other arm. Stored on it's backskirt is yet another missile pod.  
Despite the barrage, the dragon unit-clearly a special Reginlaze-dodged easily.  
"It moves fast despite it's size," Sayaka said.  
"You try to distract it," Yuuko said. "I'll fight it close range."  
"Roger that. Mayuyu, let's do it!" Sayaka said.  
Mayuyu fired from her bazooka, getting the Reginlaze's attention.  
Sayaka followed it up with fire from her guns, one held in each hand and two attached in the back.  
The Reginlaze attacked them, using it's whip sword to reach them, but the two AKB pilots were fast, dodging it, and fired a counterattack.  
Yuuko crept from behind.  
"I'm gonna finish this."  
However as she was getting close, the Reginlaze suddenly turned around and used it's whips on her.  
"What-"  
The Reginlaze used it's whip to severe the arms of Yuuko's suit, before following up with a stab to her cockpit.  
"Yuuko!" Sayaka fired another round from her guns.  
Mayuyu was already contacting the ship as she approached what remained of Yuuko's Graze. Fortunately the cockpit was still intact, and she could still detect signs of life.  
"Yukirin, we have an emergency here," she said. 

Acchan and Chieri heard it all happen, but are too busy with the Kimaris to help.  
"Yuuko-san…"  
"Acchan, watch out!"  
Acchan dodged just in time as the Kimaris did another one of it's thrusts.  
"We need another Gundam to take that one out," Chieri said.  
"Chieri, Yuuko-san is…"  
"I know," chieri replied with sadness in her voice. "Let's hope she's safe."  
Acchan looked back at the giant Reginlaze.  
Such power. But why does she also detect sadness from it?


	8. Chapter 8

Takamina, Ryuko and Kanata arrived to see Yuuko get seriously injured by the large Reginlaze.  
"Yuuko!"  
Kanata immediately flew towards Yuuko, who was being protected by Mayuyu and Sayaka as the Reginlaze kept continuing its attack.  
Mayuyu, whose bazooka and launchers have run out of ammo, is now trying to get near the Reginlaze with Sayaka providing cover.  
"Takamina! Get Yuuko out of here!" Sayaka shouted. "We'll try to hold this one off!"  
"But-"  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Sayaka replied.  
"We can do this," Mayuyu added.  
Takamina nodded and grabbed the destroyed remains of Yuuko's Graze, Kanata accompanying her.  
"I'll cover you," she said.  
Takamina was silent. 

DES SHIP  
Yuuka kicked open the door to the prison room.  
"They just don't make doors like they used too," she said.  
"Rather, you're too strong!" Sonata replied.  
"Oh, shut up," Yuuka shot back. "Come on, let's look for her."  
Kanan and Orine were already looking at the room.  
The room wasn't very large— there were only two cells, one on each side. Kanan and Orine scanned the first cell, gesturing the other two to check the other side.  
"Well there's no one on this side," Kanan said. "Maybe that one…"  
Sonata and Yuuka were already on it.  
"Hey, there's a person here!" Sonata said.  
Yuuka was already trying to knock the door to the cell down, and she managed to on her third push.  
"Alright, who is it?"  
Kanan approached the girl.  
It wasn't Riko.  
It was Leah Kazuno, lying down, her body bruised from injury.  
Kanan immediately approached her.  
"Hey, are you okay? Where's your sister? Have you seen Riko?"  
Leah raised her head up, confused before she recognized Kanan's face.  
"Ri-Riko? Ah… that must be… the other girl… she was taken…"  
"Taken?" Yuuka repeated. "Where?"  
"And my sister… she was…."  
Before she could finish though, they heard the sound of footsteps.  
"DES!"  
Yuuka immediately ran towards the door. The DES soldier was taken by surprise, allowing Yuuka to disarm him and knock him down.  
"Hurry!"  
Kanan carried Leah over her back, with Sonata and Orine bringing up the rear.  
"Good, they haven't surrounded us yet," Yuuka said. "Let's hurry!"  
Orine looked back.  
"DES soldiers behind us!" she shouted as she drew her microphone sword.  
Sonata drew hers as well, and using them they were able to block the shots fired at them by the DES soldiers.  
"Here, this room!"  
Kanan said, pointing to one room hidden in the corner.  
Yuuka quickly opened the door, and the small group dashed inside.  
Once everyone was in, Yuuka closed the door.  
The group settled in what looks like a supplies room.  
Kanan put Leah down and looked around, picking up a mop.  
"So even in the future, you still use these, huh?"  
"Why, what are we supposed to use?" Sonata asked.  
"Well, fiction has always depicted the future as very high tech," Kanan replied.  
"The future is high tech," Orine said. "We have holograms, and I've had a job building robots…."  
"What are we supposed to use? Come on, you didn't answer my question!" Sonata said.  
"Well, you know. Robotic cleaners and stuff. Self-cleaning windows, that kind of thing…" Kanan said.  
Sonata thought about it a moment. "You mean to say I could have had an easier time cleaning!? Man, this is so unfair!"  
"Now, now…" Kanan raised her arms to calm the younger girl.  
"We'll still have to get out though. We need to look for Riko, and now for Leah's sister, Sarah," she added.  
"True… let's plan what to do next. Doesn't seem like we'll be going anywhere soon anyways," Yuka said.

Sonata sat down next to Leah.  
"Hey, you're an idol, right? How's it like to perform in this time, when there's no bad guys like DES to stop you?"  
Leah thought about it a bit. "It's hard… it's hard to be famous, to keep up. With so many idols nowadays… do you know how hard my sister and I worked to reach the level that we are now? How many times we had to crush the competition? And now these space marine soldiers have taken us…"  
"Competition? Well, that's fine, but were you enjoying being an idol? You know, just having fun?" Sonata asked.  
"You don't understand, to make your mark in the idol industry, you have to—!"  
"Awww, come on, that's not what I'm talking about!" Sonata said. "You know, just having fun, being with your friends. I'm sure that deep down, you really enjoyed practicing with your sister. After all if you hadn't, you would have stopped, right? So lighten up a bit!"  
Leah thought about it a moment, but before she could reply Yuka spoke.  
"Okay, here's what we need to do. Obviously we have to find Riko-san and Sarah-san, but we need to get Leah-san to safety first. So Kanan-san, Sonata, take Leah-san away from this ship. We'll stall for time."  
"Can you guys do it?" Kanan said.  
"Of course we can," Yuka said.  
"You can count on us," Orine added.  
"How will we get out, though?" Kanan asked.  
When they entered the ship, they were dropped off by a small ship.  
"Oh, just hijack one of their Jahanams," Yuka said, waving her arm. "Sonata will pilot, she knows how. Plus it's easy anyway, if push comes to shove."  
"Alright! I get to pilot again!" Sonata said. "Come on, let's go!"  
Yuuka and Orine readied their micsabers.  
"Ready?"  
The three nodded.  
Yuuka and Orine opened the door, and were immediately greeted by DES soldiers.  
The two held their swords and attacked.

KATYUSHA  
Tsubasa looked at the situation. Two new units have come to the field, totally dominating their teams. And Yuuko has been gravely injured.  
"I knew they were hiding something," Nakajima said. "When we discovered mobile suits that opened a whole new can of worms. Now we see the fruits of DES's research."  
Tsubasa nodded and contacted the ones in the field.  
"Suzuko, Makoto, prepare to receive Yuuko's Graze."  
"Roger that," Suzuko said.  
"How horrible… What happened to her…?" Makoto added.  
The two were in their Grazes and assigned to protect the ship.  
"Acchan, Chieri, join up with Takamina and retreat. Chika and You have already joined up with them and are on the way here."  
"Tsubasa-san?"  
It was Acchan.  
"We can't retreat, the enemy keeps on following us!"  
"Tsubasa-san! Send back-up! _Asar,_ they' gotten us!" Sayaka shouted.  
Frustration can be seen in Tsubasa's face. That new giant Reginlaze was totally defeating them. Already Mayuyu's Graze was barely holding on, and Sayaka's isn't any better."  
"What about Yukirin, Sae, and Kojiharu?"  
"We're busy over here!" Sae said.  
"Currently engaging the enemy, they're keeping us from helping," Yukirin added.  
"Dammnit!" Tsubasa shouted in frustration.  
"Gusion Rebake has already reached the battlefield. It's engaging the Kimaris!" reported one of the bridge crew.  
"Also, we are detecting an unknown unit… what is that?'

Ryuko tried firing at the speedy Gundam Kimaris, but even with the gundam's bulky armor and huge booster in the back, it's still a hard target to reach.  
"In that case…"  
Ryuko turned the Rebake into sniping mode, the head turning into a specialized form for shooting.  
Carefully aiming, she fired at the booster, hitting it and forcing the Kimaris to discard it.  
Now without the booster, its movements, while fast, are slower than before. Ryuko threw away her gun and mounted the Gusion's shield on her arm, while drawing the axe that was stored on the shield in one smooth motion.  
The Kimaris was a one-trick pony— Ryuko raised her shield to counter the Kimaris' lance. The lance ended up being embedded in the shield, with the Kimaris unable to let go.  
Taking advantage of this, Ryuko was about to attack with her axe, but the Kimaris stopped her, grabbing her arm and preventing her from attacking. Then from its shoulders a pair of shurikens deployed, distracting her and allowing the Kimaris to break free, pulling its lance free in the process.  
However the Gusion saw the opening and slashed at the Kimaris with its axe, grazing the chest. The Kimaris answered by stabbing the Gusion's shoulder armor, forcing Ryuko to purge it.  
"This is gonna be harder than I thought…"

Meanwhile the giant Reginlaze has already overwhelmed Sayaka and Mayuyu, abandoning them in favor of attacking the retreating group. With its high speed it was able to catch up, and the panicked shots of Chierie, Nagisa, Chika, and You were not enough to deter it. It readied it's whip sword, but just as she was about to hit them, a flash of red appeared blocking the attack.  
"What is that?" Chika said.  
"One of us?" You asked.  
"No… it's not." Takamina replied.  
The new suit was mostly red. Its armor was minimal, and on its two arms were shields. Attached to the shields were swords in which the blades were colored gold.  
Kanata looked up the suit in the mobile suit database.  
"It has a match…. A Valkyrja type unit. The Grimgerde…."


	9. Chapter 9

The Grimgerde was fast.  
Moving at high speeds, it was able to keep up with the big Reginlaze, using the swords mounted on its shields to counter every blow and counterattacking.  
The Reginlaze lashed out its whip sword as the Grimgerde pulled back, quickly stowing away its swords and grabbing the rifle stored on its back, firing at the giant.  
"Amazing, he can keep up with that…" Sayaka said.  
"But is he on our side?" Mayuyu asked.  
The Kimaris, too, has stopped moving, seemingly trying to make sense of this new intruder.  
"Where are you looking at?" Ryuko shouted. "Your enemy is right here!"  
The Kimaris seemed to have regained its composure and charged straight at her, firing at her using the barrels mounted on the lance.  
Ryuko caught the blow with her shield, the lance stuck in the shield.  
"That won't work again. I have you now!"  
The Kimaris, however, let go of the lance, and its legs opened up to reveal hidden thrusters.  
It then flew up, attacking the Rebake using its knee, hitting the head and breaking off part of the V-Fin. The impact made Ryuko drop the Rebake's axe.  
"Damn—!"  
The Kimaris proceeded to fly away, but found that it can't; the Rebake has activated the two sub-arms in its backpack, using it to hold on to one of the Kimaris' legs.  
The Kimaris, unfazed, pulled from its back a foldable blade, smaller than its lance, and used it to cut off one of the arms grabbing it.  
Ryuko meanwhile pulled out the lance, which was stuck to the now heavily damaged shield. Discarding it, she held the lance instead.  
"Alright, time to see what this does…"

The Grimgerde was dodging the shots the Reginlaze was taking at it.  
Frustrated, the Reginlaze dashed forward and tried to attack with its sword, but the Grimgerde dodged and quickly unfolded its left sword, slashing the Reginlaze's sword, then fired at the Reginlaze again, this time at the shoulder-mounted guns, destroying them.  
The Reginlaze circled the Grimgerde, looking for an opening to attack, drawing closer each rotation.  
Finally it drew near, but the Grimerde, having stowed away its gun and returning to wielding the two swords, was ready.  
The Reginlaze used its remaining whip sword, but the Grimgerde dodged and sliced off the entire arm, making the Reginlaze lose its sword.  
Now weapon-less, the Reginlaze still has its bulk going for it, so it decided to just ram itself in its opponent instead. The Grimgerde's eyes glowed, ready for the Reginlaze's attack.

DES BATTLESHIP KIMARIS, HANGAR

Kanan, Leah, and Sonata were running towards the hangar. Indeed thanks to the distraction of Orine and Yuuka there were no DES soldiers in the way.  
Finally they reached the hangar. Since all the mobile suits were outside fighting, there were no people inside.  
There were also no giant robots.  
"Great, what now?" Kanan asked.  
Sonata looked around and pointed to a shuttle. "I can fly that too! I'll need a co-pilot though. I can teach you!"  
"Wh-what? You expect me to learn how to fly a plane in less than five minutes?"  
"Of course!" Sonata cheerfully answered. "Just say what I say, you'll be fine!"  
Sonata opened the door in the side of the shuttle, and the three of them climbed inside. While Leah sat down in the passenger seat, Kanan reluctantly sat in the co-pilot seat, eyeing the displays and buttons in front of her.  
"And what you'll have to do is…" Sonata said with a grin.  
"Yes…"  
"Nothing! What, did you expect me to teach you how to fly a plane?" Sonata said, laughing. "Of course not!" Sonata was already seated at the pilot' seat, pressing some buttons.  
"There, I just set it for an autopilot course. It'll drive itself, I'll just teach you how to monitor the plane's condition."  
"Damn it Sonata, don't scare me like that!" Kanan said.  
"Hahaha! The look on your face, it's good!" Sonata said as she guided the plane out of the hangar. Fortunately the door of the hangar was already open.  
"There, now all we have to do is sit back and relax. Oh, and I guess I have to contact my sister!"

The battle between the Gimgerde and the Reginlaze was very lopsided, in favor of the Grimgerde. While the Reginlaze was now a flying wreck, the Grimgerde still has no damage.  
Desperate, the Reginlaze charged forward again, before the Grimgerde slashed at the chest area of the suit.  
Sensing that their ace will be defeated, a group of Reginlazes took the big Reginlaze and started retreating with it. The Grimgerde, however, did not pursue, content with just watching.

"What's it doing? Why is not pursuing?" Sayaka asked.  
"I'm not sure… let's try contacting it." Mayuyu replied. They had been trying to reach the pilot but they weren't able to contact them.

Meanwhile the battle between the Kimaris and GUsion was in full swing, the Kimaris surprisingly being able to keep up with the Gusion despite using only its smaller blade, with the Gusion using the lance.  
"Aargh! If you would just stay still for a moment—!"  
The Kimaris was moving fast. Unencumbered with the giant lance, it was able to maneuver quickly, attacking from multiple directions.  
"She's gonna need backup!"  
Acchan and Chieri flew towards Ryuko, firing at the Kimaris to distract it. It proved to work, as the Kimaris turned its attention to them, firing shuriken from its shoulders. While Chieri was able to dodge, Acchan's gun was knocked out of her hands.  
"That suit… I feel sadness…"  
Out of impulse she began to sing.

 _The stars shining in the night sky  
are billions of light-years away  
Even if the deep despair  
turns into endless darkness  
The truth will be passed on  
Who will be the one to accept  
its message of light  
that is entrusted to the flow of time?_

"Acchan, what are you doing?" Chieri said. "We have to help Ryuko!"  
Acchan ignored this and continued flying to the Kimaris singing. The Kimaris, meanwhile, has stopped its attack, seemingly confused by this.

 _People will be born_ _  
_ _People will die_ _  
_ _The flesh is mortal_ _  
_ _What resurrects_ _  
_ _from its ashes_ _  
_ _is passion_ _  
_ _that goes to the next generation_

The Kimaris seemed confused, but suddenly it charged forward, its blade plunging into the chest of Acchan's Graze.  
"NAGISA!" Chieri shouted.  
Chieri was able to view Nagisa's cockpit and saw Nagisa heavily injured, bleeding.  
"Nagisa—!"  
Nagisa, however weak from the impact, continued singing. Her voice was course, but she managed a few words out for the chorus.

 _A dream is a Reincarnation:  
déjà vu-like distant memories  
that come to me again and again  
I'm just like a Reincarnation  
I'm subconsciously  
running toward somewhere  
again now  
How many tears will it take for me to give up?  
How many lives will it take for the wish to come true?_

The Kimaris wasn't moving again, it and Acchan's Graze stuck together.  
Ryuko and the others weren't moving out of shock as they heard her last song.

"Nagisa—!"  
"Onee-chan!"  
Kanata suddenly heard Sonata's voice. She was communicating with them.  
"Sonata! Where are you?"  
"I'm in the shuttle, you can see me on your radar. I have Kanan and a girl with me."  
"A girl?" Kanata asked. "Not Riko-san."  
"No, it's—!"  
Kanata wasn't able to hear anything as a gunshot echoed in the transmission.  
Then a chill ran down her spine as she heard a wail of a girl whose voice she didn't recognize, and another one – Kanan, from Aqours— screaming Sonata's name.  
"Sonata?" Kanata said with dread. "S-Sonata? What happened? Answer me, Sonata! SONATA!"


	10. Chapter 10

"Sonata? Sonata!"  
Tsubasa's voice can be heard over the intercom. "I want everyone to capture that Kimaris! Don't kill the pilot!"  
Kanata heard the orders but her mind was on what she had heard. "What happened to Sonata?"  
"Kanata-san!" It was Kanan. Her voice was sad.  
"Sonata… Sonata has been shot."

Sonata was feeling cheerful. After all, the mission went without a hitch! Well, maybe they ran into some problems, but still, they were able to save someone.  
She was just telling her sister about it when a hole appeared in the control panel of the shuttle. It took a second for Sonata to realize that someone had a gun. Turning, she saw Leah, a crazed look on her eyes, holding a gun.  
"Leah… did you just…" Kanan can't believe it. Someone had tried to shoot at them. And it was Leah!  
Sonata attacked right away.  
The radio kept blaring as Kanata, panicked, wanted to know what was going on.  
Leah fired again, hitting Sonata in the shoulder. Sonata kept going, however, and she started to sing.

The wish you made one day  
Lies sleeping in the earth  
At the promised time  
A sprout of hope will push forth

At the time we met  
Your dream was but a seed  
When enough time passes  
Perhaps it will bloom into a flower

Sonata was now close to Leah. Without flinching, she touched Leah's gun and removed it from her hands, while comforting Leah with her song.  
The crazed look on Leah's face slowly disappeared, replaced with fear and horror of what she just did.

 _I will offer you these tears_ _  
_ _So you can shine even brighter_ _  
_ _I've always been watching over you_ _  
_ _From the silent sky_ _  
_ _And now I will become the rain_

"There… it's okay…" Sonata said, calming Leah.  
"No... You don't understand… they... They did something to me. To my sister." The mention of Sarah made Leah pause."That's right, my sister! You must save her, she was deployed-she's in the white one-"  
Sonata sensed movement in the shadows and hugged Leah, covering her with her small body.  
"Sonata-san-"  
A gunshot could be heard, hitting Sonata in the chest.  
"Sonata-san!" Leah said.  
Kanan was already trembling with fear, but taking example from Sonata's courage, she tried to look for the source of the gunshot. From the shadows, hiding in the back of the shuttle, was a DES soldier.  
"Damn, I missed!" the soldier grunted. "Well, no matter. I'll just kill you all…."  
The soldier didn't get the chance to do so, as Kanan took the nearby fire extinguisher and threw it at him, knocking him out.  
"I... I did it…."  
Her exhilaration at beating the DES soldier abated as she remembered Sonata.  
Leah was already covered in Sonata's blood.  
"Leah, is Sonata…." Kanan said.  
"She's dead."

"Capture her? Easier said than done!" Ryuko said as she tried stabbing the Kimaris with her stolen lance, but the suit was just too fast.  
It attacked, using the combat blade, and Ryuko blocked it before attempting to attack back, but the Kimaris dodged and kicked her before speeding away and then circling back.  
Ryuko fired using the built in guns in the lance, but it wasn't enough to damage the gundam.  
The Grimgerde sprang into action. The lightweight suit flew towards the Kimaris, and it was able to keep up with the faster mobile suit. Much like with the Reginlaze earlier, the more maneuverable Grimgerde was able to slash at the Kimaris, damaging it, and dodging from the Kimaris' counterattack.  
The Kimaris attacked again, but this time Ryuko sidestepped it, then grabbed the Kimaris' arm. Thanks to all the damage it sustained from the Grimgerde, it was slower, making it easier to capture.  
"How about this?"  
Ryuko used the lance to impale the Kimaris' other arm.  
The Kimaris now in Ryuko's grasp, the Grimgerde suddenly held the Kimaris by its shoulders, preventing it from escaping.  
Ryuko punched the cockpit, hoping to knock out the pilot.  
The Kimaris stopped struggling.  
"I guess it worked," Ryuko said. She ripped open the cockpit and took a look at the inside.  
"It's a girl."  
"Nice work, Ryuko. That's Sarah Kazuno, an idol from this time," Tsubasa said.  
"An idol…"  
Ryuko felt disgusted. DES was still up to it's old tricks. "What happened to her?"  
"We can try asking her and her sister," Tsubasa replied. "But we'll need you to recover the suit as well. We might be able to glean data from it."  
"Alright." Now that the mission was over, Ryuko allowed herself to cry.  
"Ryuko?"  
"I'm sorry, I just… I heard what happened over the radio. Is it true that Sonata…"  
"Yes, it's true," Tsubasa replied in a sad tone. "I know you held back your tears because of the mission on hand, but it's okay to cry now."  
Ryuko nodded.  
"Just make sure to bring that Kimaris back, Ryuko. The rest of the team has already returned to the ship."  
"Roger that," Ryuko said. She took hold of the Kimaris' shoulders, taking it from the Grimgerde, which stared at her before flying away.  
"Just who are you…."

Tsubasa had to stop herself from crying. She had to be strong, after all.  
Still, Yuuko is in a coma and they lost one member.  
Suddenly the intercom sounded.  
"Tsubasa-san? This is Orine"  
"Orine? Where are you? Weren't you with Kanan and the others?"  
"No, we split up," Orine said.  
"Never mind that," Yuuka interjected. "We found Riko-san!"  
In a way Tsubasa felt relieved. At least the mission wasn't for naught.  
"Good work. Bring her back."


	11. Chapter 11

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, INFIRMARY

With a groan, Riko woke up. "Wh-Where am I?" She blinked her eyes open and was met by flash of light.

"Riko-chan!" a shuffled mix of voices called after her. She looked around and saw the rest of Aqours right around her.

She was lying on a bed of what she guess was an infirmary. She slowly sat up from there while being supported by Chika and the others, one of them adjusting the pillow Riko was resting her head on.

"Riko-chan, are you okay? Were you hurt at all?" You asked first, concern present in her eyes.

Riko met You's eye contact and nodded. "I-I'm fine—! Tsk!" She was stricken with a painful headache. She pressed her fingers against her forehead as her hand was clutched on the sheets of her bed.

"W-Wait! Riko-chan, are you really okay?!" Chika asked alarmingly as she approached Riko.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache," Riko assured as she tried to fight the headache and regain her senses.

"But still, it's of wonder how you alone got kidnapped and nobody else. Do you have any clue why they took you?" Dia asked out of the blue. Everybody looked at her and then at Riko for the answer.

"Yeah, about that, I was—!"

"Reveal what you saw and you're dead."

Riko's eyes widened as she heard a rough male voice talk as if he was inside her head. She looked around with a panicked expression when she realized the situation she was in. _Ah, I remember now, I was…_

"Nothing really happened back there."

"Are you sure? You look pale, though," Dia asked again.

"There was nothing much to report, yeah."

Dia sighed, seemingly out of relief and exasperation at the same time. "Well, I guess we'll let that slip for now."

"Anyways, thank you for rescuing me. I was praying you'd risk everything for me," Riko said as she looked at everyone and smiled.

"We-Well, yeah, about that…" Chika stuttered and looked down. She seemed as if she was about to cry.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYSUHA, CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

"Two confirmed dead on arrival, one in a coma, and some injured," Nakajima reported. "The price was too big for an ordinary girl's rescue."

"… Offensive as it may be, yeah. The cost of the damage was tremendous," Tsubasa commented. "How's Yuuko?" Nakajima stayed silent as he shook his head. "I see."

"Should we call her, then?" Nakajima suggested. "She'd make a good stand-in while Yuuko is recovering."

"No, Vice-Captain," Tsubasa answered. "We cannot involve any more people here. This is too dangerous a fight. We already risked a lot for that fight with Dr. Shimada. We're fighting with more than one ship this time, you know?"

"Which is why we need more forces," Nakajima countered. At the same time he ended his statement, a transmission came up, right on Tsubasa's desk. Nakajima smiled to this and said, "And there's the call. Care to answer, Captain?"

Tsubasa sighed and answered the call. Before she could even greet the caller, though…

"TSUBASA-SAN!" Kousaka Honoka greeted first, very energetically so. "I'VE HEARD FROM RYUKO-CHAN!"

"H-Honoka!" Tsubasa exclaimed. "So you've heard everything, eh?"

"I was lying. Teehee!" Honoka said and bonked her head like any typical comedy artist.

"…" Tsubasa was stunned priceless. "That's the Honoka I know and remember." She sighed to this and smiled sadly.

"Hey, Tsubasa-san, what's wrong? Anything up there?" Honoka saw through Tsubasa and asked. "If you need me, I'll be there."

"And it seems she's even willing to help. Why not let her?" Nakajima suggested once more and looked at the projection before the both of them.

"Ah, Vice-Captain Nakajima! How's it been?" Honoka greeted. "S'been so long, eh?"

"Yeah, it was."

"So, Honoka—Wait, Honoka. Where are you right now?" Tsubasa was about to say something when she noticed something behind Honoka.

"Where I am, you say… I'm right in front of your office, silly Tsubasa!" Honoka answered. "And it seems we have a lot to talk about. Can I come in?"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, AUTOPSY ROOM

It's been three days since that incident. Two of AKB0048's members have fallen in battle. It was inevitable that their leader Takahashi Minami would be there. She stood by the edge of the bed which held fallen Maeda Atsuko the 14th she formerly knew as Motomiya Nagisa. On the other bed lied Shinonome Kanata's little sister, Sonata. After that fierce battle, everybody had either become quiet or crying out loud at the news of the deaths of their members. After hours of mourning, the only one who stayed was Takamina, who kept on crying until she ran out of tears and her eyes almost completely red. Her lips were dry and swollen, and she could not stop shaking. Her hands were beyond her control. Who could help it? She lost two of her precious members.

As leader, she had to take responsibility.

There was even new of Yuuko critically injured and was being operated somewhere in the ship, too which nobody among AKB, not even Takamina, was allowed to enter. She'd only heard Yuuko was in a comatose and nothing else. Since the news, her heart always felt like it could burst out of her chest at any moment.

"I-I… I… Kh!" she sobbed as she looked at the covered up bodies of what used to be her teammates. She could barely speak from the weakness she was feeling right then.

The door to the autopsy room opened and Kanata entered.

"Takamina-senpai… It's… It's time for lunch…" Kanata softly called, as she tried to hold back the tears that looked like they could pour out all at once.

"… No," Takamina flatly declined.

"Senpai, it's been three straight days since you last eaten. Can't you at least have one meal?"

"Kanata, you know what—! I can't. Not right now," Takamina bit back her rage and fell right back to the chair she was sitting on.

"Don't be stubborn, please," Kanata ushered. "As much as we're all devastated by these losses, we're also concerned about each other. So please, senpai. Don't be like this."

"… You don't understand," Takamina muttered, but it was enough for Kanata to hear. "You don't understand what these losses mean to me! Acchan and Sonata are dead, and Yuuko is in a coma! You don't know what it means! One was already more than enough… Those damn DES… All this for one girl…"

"Wait, senpai! You're saying all this was in vain?!" Kanata snapped. She knew she was in no room to argue, but that line was the last straw.

"Of COURSE it was! Three had to suffer for one's rescue? Was she even that great an asset for us to carry on after three losses?!"

Kanata couldn't take any more words out of Takamina's mouth. She approached the latter and pulled her up by the collar.

"You know, senpai, you've always been a role model to all of us. You've lead us through many hectic battles. You've taught us what it means to be a part of AKB. Is this how that role model should act at these times?" Kanata asked, fury in her voice. She was pulling Takamina so far up that the latter was struggling against Kanata's grasp.

"Tsk, don't assume stuff just from how they act," Takamina shot back. "I'm not the strong leader you know."

"I know you're strong, senpai!" Kanata brought Takamina closer to her so they stood face to face. "You just have to snap out of it and stop being unreasonable! You're affecting many members and you don't know it just because you're moping over three—"

Kanata was cut off when Takamina hooked her across the face. Sharp pain stung the corner of her lip. She lost balance and fell sideways on the floor. She let go of Takamina's shirt collar then.

"You speak of three as if they're mere sacrificial pawns," Takamina started. "Well I don't. You just lost your little sister, and you speak as if she wasn't. What I lost were members of a family I—we tried to protect with all our might, but couldn't. Won't you feel like you lost to the world when you find out that you didn't have the power to protect your family? Won't you feel powerless when you find out you can't rush to their aid when it really matters? That's… that's something that… just makes me… really sad…"

"… Isn't there a time for everybody to move on and carry on the dreams of the fallen?" Kanata almost whispered. "If it's you, you can carry their burden and move on. You can avenge them if you'd like. You can do that, right? You're Takamina-senpai. I know you—"

"I can't, alright?! I can't, so stop… Please, I can't take this," Takamina weakly said. "I'm not strong like you think I am, so don't—! Tsk, agh…" Takamina scratched her head furiously.

Kanata forced herself up to approach Takamina. "Senpai, snap out of it! If you won't lead this group, who will? Senpai, we need you. We need your power. We—"

"No. I can't take much more. I don't wanna see another part of my family fall to the hands of the enemy," Takamina suddenly decided. "I… give up." She then went or the exit.

"Give up…?! You mean—! No, you can't do this! Senpai!" Kanata chased after Takamina, but the latter shover her away, causing her to fall back to the cold metal ground.

"Ah, and by the way, good luck running the group, Kanata," Takamina—Shiori said. "I mean, Takahashi Minami the 6th." She then walked away, leaving Kanata alone in the autopsy room.


	12. Chapter 12

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, INFIRMARY

With a groan, Riko woke up. "Wh-Where am I?" She blinked her eyes open and was met by flash of light.

"Riko-chan!" a shuffled mix of voices called after her. She looked around and saw the rest of Aqours right around her.

She was lying on a bed of what she guess was an infirmary. She slowly sat up from there while being supported by Chika and the others, one of them adjusting the pillow Riko was resting her head on.

"Riko-chan, are you okay? Were you hurt at all?" You asked first, concern present in her eyes.

Riko met You's eye contact and nodded. "I-I'm fine—! Tsk!" She was stricken with a painful headache. She pressed her fingers against her forehead as her hand was clutched on the sheets of her bed.

"W-Wait! Riko-chan, are you really okay?!" Chika asked alarmingly as she approached Riko.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache," Riko assured as she tried to fight the headache and regain her senses.

"But still, it's of wonder how you alone got kidnapped and nobody else. Do you have any clue why they took you?" Dia asked out of the blue. Everybody looked at her and then at Riko for the answer.

"Yeah, about that, I was—!"

"Reveal what you saw and you're dead."

Riko's eyes widened as she heard a rough male voice talk as if he was inside her head. She looked around with a panicked expression when she realized the situation she was in. _Ah, I remember now, I was…_

"Nothing really happened back there."

"Are you sure? You look pale, though," Dia asked again.

"There was nothing much to report, yeah."

Dia sighed, seemingly out of relief and exasperation at the same time. "Well, I guess we'll let that slip for now."

"Anyways, thank you for rescuing me. I was praying you'd risk everything for me," Riko said as she looked at everyone and smiled.

"We-Well, yeah, about that…" Chika stuttered and looked down. She seemed as if she was about to cry.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYSUHA, CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

"Two confirmed dead on arrival, one in a coma, and some injured," Nakajima reported. "The price was too big for an ordinary girl's rescue."

"… Offensive as it may be, yeah. The cost of the damage was tremendous," Tsubasa commented. "How's Yuuko?" Nakajima stayed silent as he shook his head. "I see."

"Should we call her, then?" Nakajima suggested. "She'd make a good stand-in while Yuuko is recovering."

"No, Vice-Captain," Tsubasa answered. "We cannot involve any more people here. This is too dangerous a fight. We already risked a lot for that fight with Dr. Shimada. We're fighting with more than one ship this time, you know?"

"Which is why we need more forces," Nakajima countered. At the same time he ended his statement, a transmission came up, right on Tsubasa's desk. Nakajima smiled to this and said, "And there's the call. Care to answer, Captain?"

Tsubasa sighed and answered the call. Before she could even greet the caller, though…

"TSUBASA-SAN!" Kousaka Honoka greeted first, very energetically so. "I'VE HEARD FROM RYUKO-CHAN!"

"H-Honoka!" Tsubasa exclaimed. "So you've heard everything, eh?"

"I was lying. Teehee!" Honoka said and bonked her head like any typical comedy artist.

"…" Tsubasa was stunned priceless. "That's the Honoka I know and remember." She sighed to this and smiled sadly.

"Hey, Tsubasa-san, what's wrong? Anything up there?" Honoka saw through Tsubasa and asked. "If you need me, I'll be there."

"And it seems she's even willing to help. Why not let her?" Nakajima suggested once more and looked at the projection before the both of them.

"Ah, Vice-Captain Nakajima! How's it been?" Honoka greeted. "S'been so long, eh?"

"Yeah, it was."

"So, Honoka—Wait, Honoka. Where are you right now?" Tsubasa was about to say something when she noticed something behind Honoka.

"Where I am, you say… I'm right in front of your office, silly Tsubasa!" Honoka answered. "And it seems we have a lot to talk about. Can I come in?"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, AUTOPSY ROOM

It's been three days since that incident. Two of AKB0048's members have fallen in battle. It was inevitable that their leader Takahashi Minami would be there. She stood by the edge of the bed which held fallen Maeda Atsuko the 14th she formerly knew as Motomiya Nagisa. On the other bed lied Shinonome Kanata's little sister, Sonata. After that fierce battle, everybody had either become quiet or crying out loud at the news of the deaths of their members. After hours of mourning, the only one who stayed was Takamina, who kept on crying until she ran out of tears and her eyes almost completely red. Her lips were dry and swollen, and she could not stop shaking. Her hands were beyond her control. Who could help it? She lost two of her precious members.

As leader, she had to take responsibility.

There was even new of Yuuko critically injured and was being operated somewhere in the ship, too which nobody among AKB, not even Takamina, was allowed to enter. She'd only heard Yuuko was in a comatose and nothing else. Since the news, her heart always felt like it could burst out of her chest at any moment.

"I-I… I… Kh!" she sobbed as she looked at the covered up bodies of what used to be her teammates. She could barely speak from the weakness she was feeling right then.

The door to the autopsy room opened and Kanata entered.

"Takamina-senpai… It's… It's time for lunch…" Kanata softly called, as she tried to hold back the tears that looked like they could pour out all at once.

"… No," Takamina flatly declined.

"Senpai, it's been three straight days since you last eaten. Can't you at least have one meal?"

"Kanata, you know what—! I can't. Not right now," Takamina bit back her rage and fell right back to the chair she was sitting on.

"Don't be stubborn, please," Kanata ushered. "As much as we're all devastated by these losses, we're also concerned about each other. So please, senpai. Don't be like this."

"… You don't understand," Takamina muttered, but it was enough for Kanata to hear. "You don't understand what these losses mean to me! Acchan and Sonata are dead, and Yuuko is in a coma! You don't know what it means! One was already more than enough… Those damn DES… All this for one girl…"

"Wait, senpai! You're saying all this was in vain?!" Kanata snapped. She knew she was in no room to argue, but that line was the last straw.

"Of COURSE it was! Three had to suffer for one's rescue? Was she even that great an asset for us to carry on after three losses?!"

Kanata couldn't take any more words out of Takamina's mouth. She approached the latter and pulled her up by the collar.

"You know, senpai, you've always been a role model to all of us. You've lead us through many hectic battles. You've taught us what it means to be a part of AKB. Is this how that role model should act at these times?" Kanata asked, fury in her voice. She was pulling Takamina so far up that the latter was struggling against Kanata's grasp.

"Tsk, don't assume stuff just from how they act," Takamina shot back. "I'm not the strong leader you know."

"I know you're strong, senpai!" Kanata brought Takamina closer to her so they stood face to face. "You just have to snap out of it and stop being unreasonable! You're affecting many members and you don't know it just because you're moping over three—"

Kanata was cut off when Takamina hooked her across the face. Sharp pain stung the corner of her lip. She lost balance and fell sideways on the floor. She let go of Takamina's shirt collar then.

"You speak of three as if they're mere sacrificial pawns," Takamina started. "Well I don't. You just lost your little sister, and you speak as if she wasn't. What I lost were members of a family I—we tried to protect with all our might, but couldn't. Won't you feel like you lost to the world when you find out that you didn't have the power to protect your family? Won't you feel powerless when you find out you can't rush to their aid when it really matters? That's… that's something that… just makes me… really sad…"

"… Isn't there a time for everybody to move on and carry on the dreams of the fallen?" Kanata almost whispered. "If it's you, you can carry their burden and move on. You can avenge them if you'd like. You can do that, right? You're Takamina-senpai. I know you—"

"I can't, alright?! I can't, so stop… Please, I can't take this," Takamina weakly said. "I'm not strong like you think I am, so don't—! Tsk, agh…" Takamina scratched her head furiously.

Kanata forced herself up to approach Takamina. "Senpai, snap out of it! If you won't lead this group, who will? Senpai, we need you. We need your power. We—"

"No. I can't take much more. I don't wanna see another part of my family fall to the hands of the enemy," Takamina suddenly decided. "I… give up." She then went or the exit.

"Give up…?! You mean—! No, you can't do this! Senpai!" Kanata chased after Takamina, but the latter shover her away, causing her to fall back to the cold metal ground.

"Ah, and by the way, good luck running the group, Kanata," Takamina—Shiori said. "I mean, Takahashi Minami the 6th." She then walked away, leaving Kanata alone in the autopsy room.


	13. Chapter 13

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BUNKS

"Nagisa… Nagisa…" muttered Chieri, who was alone in the bunks. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her tears already dried. Her lips were shaky and dry and every part of her was numb. One could even tell she was devastated from Nagisa's death. After all, she herself was a witness to everything. She spent every day replaying the scene over and over and crying over it, even if she went out of tears to let out.

 _Everything was not the same without Nagisa in it._

Outside, waiting for her to come out were her friends Orine and Yuuka. They would send in food to try and calm her down, but get to pick it up in a state the same way they saw it when they put the tray in. It has been almost two weeks since the incident, but they have not seen a bite off of every food they sent in to the bunks Chieri was in.

Even they were emotionally affected by Nagisa's passing, but they had no other choice but to keep on. _What would Nagisa say in this situation?_ This was what they always told themselves every time after that incident, which in turn would help them cheer up, even just a little bit. Now they wanted the same for Chieri, but for the past few weeks, they were not able to accomplish their goal.

"Is Chieri the one here?" a deep but teenage female voice asked from behind Yuuka and Orine. The two jumped from surprise and whipped their heads to turn to the source of the voice. They saw two figures standing before them. Due to the lights above them, they were not able to identify their faces, but they were able to recall.

"It's payback time."

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, MESS HALL

Everyone was eating quietly, as if desperately trying not to make noise. Everyone wasn't happy with the results of this battle. They even heard of Takamina stepping out, which made their conditions even worse.

Among those people were best friends, Mimori, Kanata, and Ryuko. They ate with silence, unsure on what to feel. Of course, the two were happy for Kanata, having achieved her dream and all, but it was an exchange for an important member leaving the group for good, and Kanata's sister having to depart.

Even their senpais weren't eating well. Of course, they experienced four big losses. They seemed like out of the mood to even touch their food.

Outside the mess hall, watching her fellow members in a foul mood was Honoka, who came to the Katyusha to make sure everything was okay.

"Guess I came at a bad time, eh?" Honoka muttered sadly to herself as she stepped away from to door to the mess hall. She then approached the windows and leaned backwards. "I want to blame somebody for this, but now is not the time. Everything has been done and all. But still, is there something I can do to help them?"

Meanwhile, beyond her vision was Chika hiding behind the walls to keep out of her line of site. She was also covering her mouth to block noise. "I-Is that H-Honoka-se-senpai?! A me-member of M-Muse?! W-Why is she here…?!" Her heart was racing and her breathing was ragged. After all, she could not believe that her idol was here and standing right in front of her.

"Chika-chan?" Riko called out. "What are you doing here?"

"You won't believe this! Honoka-senpai. Is. Right. Here!" Chika then squealed like a fangirl. "Wonder if the rest of Muse is right here!"

"Honoka…-senpai…" Riko muttered and looked over the wall. In front of her was the real Honoka Kousaka. Under normal circumstances, she would have been amazed to have met the school idol that changed everything, but right now she was hit with a really bad headache as soon as she saw the Muse mumber.

Riko tried to shake off the pain, but it had not gone unnoticed by Chika.  
"Riko-chan? Still not feeling well?" Chika asked, looking intently at Riko.

"… Ah, yeah, I'm fine," Riko responded after a short delay. "Just a mild headache. Anyways, don't you want to meet Honoka-san face to face? I bet she'd be happy to have a big fan of her standing before her."

"You think so?! Then, I'll take this opportunity! Whee!" Chika excitedly shouted and ran towards Honoka. "HONOKA-SENPAIIII!"

"Eh?" Honoka looked around and saw Chika running towards her at top speed. "Ueh?!" They then collided, thus falling into the floor.

"I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

"Eh? Ah, I remember you! Takami Chika-san, I presume? Of Aqours?"

"You know me?! RIKO-CHAN, SHE KNOWS ME! WHAT IS THIS MAGIC?!" Chika exclaimed out of pure joy. Following her was Riko, who giggled after Chika tackled Honoka. Honoka looked her Chika's shoulder as the latter kept talking. She saw Riko and was about to greet her.

"And you must be Sakurauchi Riko—" then she was cut off when she noticed something was off about Riko. A headache perhaps? No, but she can't put her finger…

"What's the matter, Honoka-san?" Riko asked, showing worry.

"I-It's nothing, just sort of remembered something I had to discuss with Tsubasa-san today," Honoka excused and stood Chika up to let herself stand up as well. She then dusted her clothes. "I guess I gotta go. Nice meeting you, Chika-chan! Riko-chan!" She then smiled and turned to walk away.

"Uwaaah, she called me Chika-chan! She called me Chika-chan, Riko-chan!" Chika exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah…" Riko stuttered and laughed softly. She was seriously worried about the face Honoka made just a while ago.

Meanwhile, as Honoka had her back turned to the two, she muttered to herself. "That girl… I'm certain I've seen her before…"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, INTERROGATION ROOM

"I told you, I know nothing! I'm just a private!" the DES soldier shouted in tears as he struggled against his bonds. He was tied to a chair with nowhere to go. "Please, just let me go! I have family to go back to!"

Kanan and the others came back with an unconscious DES soldier that might become of use depending on the information they got from him. But so far, nothing significant has come out of his lips.

Tsubasa, which was on another line through the captain's quarters, turned off her microphone and sighed. "This is becoming hopeless. It's taking an hour and he's still saying the same thing. Nakajima, is this really a soldier of DES?"

"That's probably natural," Nakajima said, rubbing his chin. "A private of DES doesn't get any information off the generals in command. They only accept orders and that's that. At least, that goes for the others. Not me." He then stood up and approached Tsubasa. "Can I take over? Maybe I can do something."

Tsubasa in response sighed and stood up from her chair before stepping aside and letting Nakajima take over. With the former DES captain under control of the interrogation, he started.

"Greetings. I'm Nakajima, captain of the battleship Gusion, which currently resides secretly underground of Japan, the general of the fleet your captain is part of, as well as the vice-captain of AKB0048," he introduced himself. "I'm guessing you're Private Satoshi from Battleship Bael."

"G-General Nakajima…?!" the soldier exclaimed. "W-Why are you here…?!"

"I've taken over this session to assist you. The fleet seemed to have been in disarray since I went absent for a certain amount of time. If you choose to tell us what you know of Captain Kirishima's plans, I will personally let you go of your bounds and live on your own volition."

The soldier's mouth gaped open at the offer. "I-I… I just want to be free off DES, that's all. I'm just a man who wants to live a normal life with my wife and two daughters…" He sobbed and blinked his tears away. He breathed heavily and looked at the projection of Nakajima. "I-I'll tell you what I've heard from the lieutenants," he stuttered. "C-Captain Kirishima seems to have mutinied against the fleet and is planning on destroying Japan and Gusion along with it, if it meant taking over as the new commander of the fleet. There's also the other ships of the fleet coming in under Kirishima's command. I-I also heard of using various spies to infiltrate your defenses."

"Is that all?" Nakajima asked.

"T-That's all of what I've heard."

"… Thank you for sharing with us what you have," Nakajima announced with a smile. "As current commander, I hereby lift you off of the position of private, and will let you go and do as you please. With that, I promise to take you home and meet your family once again."

"Wh-Wha..?! I-Is that true?!" the soldier exclaimed. "T-Thank you, General Nakajima!"

"Just Nakajima is fine," the vice-captain chuckled. "We'll prepare a ship to take you home."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"And… done," Nakajima then turned off the intermission and sighed. "There we go, Captain."

"… Impressive," Tsubasa muttered in awe. "You're still as persuasive a man as before."

"That's just my job. And I'm thinking of letting go of DES real soon. There's no reason to keep this up anymore."

"But I'm guessing it won't end well with just that," Tsubasa warned.

"I know. The other ones just need some convincing," Nakajima nodded it off. "So now that we've heard of Kirishima's plans, how are we gonna act from now on?"

"You're right," Tsubasa affirmed with a hand on her chin. "All ships of the fleet… How many ships do you have under command?"

"Let's see… With my ship, I have seven," Nakajima counted.

"So we'll be against five ships, huh?" Tsubasa concluded. "But what worried about more is the—"

"Spies, right?" Nakajima guessed. "Assuming no one gets close to the ship, who else could be a potential spy?"

"… I never once doubted anyone in my team, but only one of them could be…" Tsubasa worriedly muttered. "Of course I don't mean Ryuko-san, since she's redeemed herself before all this. Someone else who's been outside of this ship since that appeared…"

"You mean everyone in Aqours, then?" Nakajima asked.

"That would be easy if it were all of them…"

"Then we're in for a lot of trouble." Nakajima then leaned back on the captain's chair.

"You seem to be comfortable on that chair, Vice-Captain…"

"Of course. It's my only chance to be captain again for once."

"Get off!"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, INTERROGATION ROOM

Meanwhile, the soldier Satoshi tied to the chair was very relaxed even through his situation.

"I'll finally be off of DES… My wife must be worried sick," he said and smiled at the thought. "I'll be back for you."

Suddenly the door opened and revealed a silhouette.

"Ah, maybe the ship has been prepared. Hey, can you untie me of my bonds?" Satoshi called out to the girl.

"Hmmm, let's see…" the voice, which sound like a girl, nonchalantly said as she approached Satoshi until she was right in front of him. "How about no?" She then brought out a gun and pointed it at Satoshi.

"Eh?" the private sounded, but before he could say any more, he was shot cleanly through the head. He was brought down along with the chair he was bound to. He was then cut from the rope, and when he got free, he struggled to look at his killer. "Wh-Who are—?! I-I know you…!" His eyes widened at the sight. Although the room was dimly lighted, he could see the face of this person.

But before he could say anything else, he lost consciousness even with his eyes open in shock.


	14. Chapter 14

DES BATTLESHIP BAEL, CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

Kirishima was looking through his communications with the other captains. In this timeline, communications with someone from a different one was proving quite a difficult task for Kirishima. He's been contacting them for the past few days to no avail. _This is bad news…_

A knock suddenly echoed through Kirishima's door. "Come in," the captain said, inviting the visitor inside. The door opened and revealed a soldier, and by his insignia, was seen as a lieutenant. "What business do you have?"

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant responded, raising his hand to a salute. "A report on the assassination of Private Satoshi."

The captain froze on the spot and then stared at the lieutenant before him. "How was it?" Kirishima asked sternly, crossing his arms.

"It was successful. As we speak, the spy is now disposing of Private Satoshi's body," the lieutenant answered right away, hiding a little smile. "With that, the parasite inside her brain died."

"And?"

"It was reviewed that two new ones were born from the death of the mother. They are currently growing through the same process. It's said that they will grow again in a day."

To this report, Kirishima smiled widely. Not only have they succeeded in disposing of that bastard Satoshi who spilled his plans with Nakajima, but they also called the experiment a success.

 _Dr. Shimada, we will continue your work, make it a success, and we will honor you for your wonderful work. This is merely the first step._

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HANGAR

Chika and the other girls from Aqours looked at the giant mechs before them. Some of them may have already piloted one, but it was their first time marveling before such robots.

"Now that I look at them, they look awesome as hell," Chika said as she eyed the mobile suit she operated in the previous battle.

"And controlling them makes it feel like you're playing a simulation game," You commented while looked at her hand.

"Simulation game, huh…" Mari, who was standing quite far from everyone else, muttered and put a finger on her chin. "Guess I can modify it like that…"

"Mari-san? What are you muttering about there?" Dia turned back to ask Mari.

"Eh? Ah, nothing! I've never ridden anything like that, so I'm just imagining what it feels like from You-chan's perspective," Mari waved it off and giggled.

"So huge…" Ruby said as she started at the head of one robot from below. She has had her head bent so far up as if she were looking at the sky. All of them looked at the line of robots before them, as Mari looked at them from afar, looking overjoyed from what she was seeing, when her watch vibrated.

"Ah, it's about that time, huh…" Mari muttered. "Girls, I need to get going. Some business down there. Dia, look after the others for me, yeah?" She called herself out and left the hangar.

"… Mari's been excusing herself a whole lot ever since the incident..." Kanan observed. "I wonder if she has something she doesn't wanna tell us…"

"I think a secret must be kept secret, zura," Maru said. "We should leave her be, I guess?"

"Yeah, we should," Dia agreed and looked on the others.

Meanwhile, Yoshiko and Riko were standing side by side, holding hands as they looked at the same view as the others. Riko has also been acting strange these days, Yoshiko has observed. Like, she was unsure of what she'd been doing lately. She has also been getting more and more frequent headaches, as if everything since the moment she was kidnapped worried her, and that worried Yoshiko ever more.

As of the moment, Riko was still pressing her forehead. Yoshiko looked at her girlfriend with worry. "Riri, is something wrong?" she asked, now full of concern.

"Ah, i-it's nothing," Riko waved it off. "I know it's strange for me to have such long-lasting headaches, but it'll pass soon, I'm sure."

"O-Okay, if that's what you say…" Yoshiko decided not to mind it, but she could not help herself from worrying and showing concern.

"All these robots are cool!" Chika commented once again. She eyed the robots with sheer interest when a white one caught her attention. It had a more masculine build than the others, with black, yellow, and red adorning every part. "I-Is this what I think this is?"

"Yeah, you're looking at the Barbatos," a girl said from above. She was on the railings, leaning on them to look down on the girls. Said girl was Honoka, who smiled at Chika when the latter found her.

"Honoka-senpaaaaai!" Chika shouted at the top of her lungs. "What are you doing heeeeereee?!"

"Just doing some simulations on Barbatos, being its pilot and all," Honoka answered while remaining chill.

"So the rumors _were_ true! Famous school idol Honoka Kousaka saves Japan –and Earth at the same time—in Barbatos! Oooooh, seeing the famed robot before me is such an honor!"

"You exaggerate," Honoka said and giggled. "It was the least I could do." She smiled and looked at the others. She then saw Riko and almost lost her smile. "Anyways, what can I do for you today?"

"Ah, nothing. We're just looking around the ship. Tsubasa-san told us so," Dia answered. "We haven't been everywhere, after all."

"I see," Honoka simply responded. "Well, have fun walking around! Want me to guide you around?"

"No need," Dia said. "We have a map of the ship with us, after all."

"Then I guess I'll leave the tour to you girls," Honoka concluded. "Stay safe, then!"

"We will! See you!" Chika shouted. "Let's go, girls!" She then left the hangar, the other girls following after her.

Honoka kept her smile just before they left the hanger. "They're missing one member… The blonde one? It may just be my imagination, but could she be the one Tsubasa-san was talking about just yesterday?"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BRIDGE

Tsubasa and Nakajima were sitting on their respective seats, waiting for any reports on the enemy's movements.

"Seems like DES is going passive as of now. I wonder if they've already made their move on that spy of theirs," Nakajima said, resting his head on his hand.

"Possibly so," Tsubasa answered. "They want as much information out of us, so it's best they send them out early."

"Captain! Our database has been hacked!" one of the people manning the computers reported. "All our files are being sent to theirs!"

"So the enemy has finally made their move," Nakajima said, sighing before finally giving out commands. "Intercept the bug and trace back to the origin! We'll see who's behind all this."

And the staff followed, entering keys that would issue the command, but they were being backed against a wall. There was almost nothing they could do against the hacker.

"It's no use! They're too good at this!" one of them shouted, desperately typing out the commands on code, but it was proving useless.

Just as all of their files were being taken, a transmission projected in front of them by itself. The screen was entirely black, except for a masked person in the middle. Only the golden mask was showing, so they could not get a bearing of anything else about the person behind the mask.

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen, Captain and Vice-Captain!" the masked person greeted in a voice none of them have heard of. "Of course, for the courtesy of giving a mystery feel to all this, I'm not planning on introducing myself, which would probably be rude to all you guys, but you can proably assume who I am."

"The spy…" Tsubasa muttered.

"But what you should know is that I've hacked through all your data, so I have all the power to bring down this ship in an instant."

"What?!" all the staff exclaimed, almost panicking.

"Everyone, check the surveillance cameras! All of Aqours should be in their rooms as of this moment!" Nakajima commanded.

"It's useless, Vice-Captain," the person on the transmission said. "I have control of all surveillance going on here. You're all stuck here with no eyes and ears, and your hands are tied."

"W-What do you want?" Tsubasa, who was clenching her teeth, asked.

"Hmmm, what I want, you say? You want a negotiation, then," the masked person suggested. "How about we play your little exchange game here?"

All of them remained silent, wanting to hear what the masked person had to say.

"I'll take that silence as a yes. Here goes. I know you want to know who I really am, and I'm willing to tell you… if you, Captain Tsubasa, step down of your position as captain and hand over the title to me."

"Don't mess with me! My stepping down isn't worth your name!" Tsubasa denied the offer, standing up on alert.

"Calm down, Captain!" Nakajima yelled, stopping Tsubasa. "You're not in a position to deny this person right now. We don't even know if this person is the spy or not. They have all our data, and they might even crash the entire ship if they wanted. Let's just give them a listen, okay?"

Tsubasa gritted her teeth but managed to simmer down. She sat back down on her seat.

"Good call, Vice-Captain Nakajima," the masked person complimented. "But I'm not that low as to kill for a captain's title. It's a shame you can't give me your position, Captain. But I respect your resolve." They then laughed. "Continuing on, as per agreement, since Captain Tsubasa isn't so willing to back down from her position, I can't reveal my identity. Thus ends our discussion."

"Y-You'll let us go?" Tsubasa looked up to face the masked person.

"I am! I'll also return all your data," the masked person said and as per their statement, all data went back. "As soon as I drop this call, you'll also get back you control over your surveillances. Too bad we couldn't come to an agreement. I'll come ask again some other time." Then the transmission ended. As soon as such happened, all their security surveillances went online.

"Check around for the girls! Immediately!" Tsubasa commanded, and the others followed. "Whoever that person was, they should probably be fixing their props—"

"None of them match the conditions!" one of the staff reported. "All of them are in their individual rooms, but none of them has the mask from earlier!"

"Except one," Nakajima observed. "What was her name again? Ohara Mari, was it?"

"Guess she's our only clue… but—"

"Wait, something's missing from the files the masked person returned," one of the staff reported once again.

"What?" Tsubasa turned her head to the one who reported the matter.

"What we're missing… are the blueprints for our mobile suits."


	15. Chapter 15

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, HALLWAY: 23: 44

Kanata was walking down the halls was if she was blind. She could not walk properly and kept stumbling. Her knees shook at every step like they were about to break at any moment. She was moving slowly, but she was sweating and entire lot.

She could not help it. After all, the senpai she admired and looked up to, gave up on being on AKB0048.

Everything after Shiori, the former holder of Takamina's name, left, everything went bland. Of course, being the person second closest to inheriting Takamina's name, Kanata Shinonome was crowned as the next successor. She got what she wanted the most. At least, that's what she wanted to think.

But the succession was not like how she wanted it. Instead of a live concert performing a song in front of the people that supported her, she merely got an announcement through an intermission. Everybody had no excuse to not hear it, but the case was that no one really cared. In turn of giving someone big name, the pillar holding the team together disappeared and quit just like that.

What Kanata thought would be the best day of her life turned to the worst day.

Reminiscing the entire scene and the stuff that happened after that made Kanata puke as she fell on her sides. She hurled over and threw up. As saliva scattered all over the floor, tears came out of her eyes and her stomach growled, which made her press the area.

She could not handle it. She felt like the pressure the entire ship was feeling was being put on her. She gave everything up and cried. It was almost midnight, so no one managed to answer her cries of grief. She curled herself as she lied on the ice cold floor and fell asleep on the spot, sobbing quietly.

When she finally came to her senses, Kanata opened her eyes first thing and was blinded by white light. She groaned and slightly turned her head to get a look of where she was. Who greeted her the moment she opened her eyes was Kashiwagi Yuki the 6th, the nurse of the group.

"Kanata-chan!" Yuki called out. "Are you okay?" In reply, Kanata remained silent for a while before nodding once.

"… Where am I?" were the first words to come out of Kanata's lips.

"The infirmary," Yuki answered. "The other girls found you lying down on the floor with vomit right beside you."

"I… I see…"

"You haven't been eating regularly lately, am I right?" Yuki asked next. Kanata's eyes widened then returned to their original shape right after.

"… Yeah…" Kanata answered truthfully.

"That's no good, Kanata-chan," a new voice told her from her left. Kanata looked at the source of the voice and found Mimori, her best friend, who was sitting onn a chair right beside her bed. She currently held Shinoda Mariko's name as the seventh person to do so. "Didn't they tell you already? An idol is defined by what she eats."

"Mimo—Ah, Mariko-san… Yeah, it was my mistake…" Kanata muttered as she hid herself within the sheets in embarrassment. "Don't worry, I'll try to eat as many as I can—"

"You're… depressed over losing someone, aren't you?" a female voice asked. The girl then appeared from behind the curtains and showed Honoka, former member of AKB. "Your little sister and the idol you always looked up to."

Kanata was surprised to meet the Center Nova that reappeared after having landed to the past. But more than that, Honoka slapped the horrible reality across Kanata's face.

"Honoka-senpai!" Yuki called out. All three members in the infirmary were surprised by her presence.

"Yo!" Honoka greeted with a smile. That smile, however, did not last long, and she reverted to a dead serious face. "That's not the face you should be making when you lose someone dear to you."

"Eh?" Kanata did not expect those words. For the past few days, she was keeping a blank face to keep herself from crying. She could not. She should not cry. Every successor to Takahashi Minami's name should remain tough at all times. Crying was not an option.

But what was Honoka saying?

"Kanata-chan, you're the leader now. You should be expressive with what you're feeling," Honoka continued.

"B-But, senpai… I can't afford to. I need to… be tough… For their sake… For the sake of all the girls…" Kanata said, however passing off for a whisper. In reply, Honoka sighed.

"… Kanata-chan, I know I'm not in a position to say this, but the Takamina-san in my time used to cry a lot," Honoka said.

"What?" Kanata almost exclaimed in shock.

"After every live, she would count whoever was injured and cry for hours in their name. She'd even go weak when someone gets scratched. As a leader, she believed she should have had the willpower to protect each and every one of her members, me included. Failing to do so would mean her failure as a leader. To that, she'd spill out all her frustration and return a stronger woman.

"As a leader, she thinks it was her duty to not let anybody hold a finger over her members. Her own family. And I believe every successor to the name also held the same responsibility and carried the burden they created themselves. Even the Takamina-san you admired 'till now.

"So, Kanata-chan. Tell me, after losing two members. Your own sister, even. Would you prefer to suck it all in and crumble as a pillar later on? Or would you rather let it all out and return with an iron fist, like all the other successors did?"

Kanata was speechless. Takamina-san, crying? She rarely saw Takamina crying, to the point seeing her tear up was unimaginable. But carrying the responsibility with her… Holding the pressure up and spilling out all her weakness. That's when Kanata understood. Her sadness when two of her precious members died to the enemy. The weight she carried, not being able to protect them and letting them fall. That was why she was more broken than what Kanata would have expected.

As a result, tears started forming in Kanata's eyes. Tears she herself could not stop flowed down her face as she sobbed, and cried right after. She could not hold it in anymore. Even the idol she looked up to showed weakness at some point. Kanata saw the name Takamina as a tough leader who sees through everything without exposing herself.

Mimori looked at Kanata, then at Honoka, then back at Kanata. What Honoka said hit Kanata so hard that she finally decided to let out the pain she was holding back. Mimori looked at Honoka and nodded in gratitude before approaching Kanata on her bed for an embrace. She spread her arms for Kanata to lean on, and the latter took it readily. Kanata leaned on Mimori's chest and cried louder. Her cries filled the room and probably leaked outside. Mimori smiled widely to this. Yuki, who was silent the entire time, found herself smiling as well.

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, BUNKERS

Chieri could hear them. A variation of voices she could not count resounded from outside the bunker rooms. Every single day, the voices grew. At first, there were two of them. The next day, four of them. The next few days, there were so many that Chieri herself could not count how many they were, waiting just outside Chieri's room.

But they were soft, almost as if they were mere whispers to her.

She wanted to hear them, but she seemed to have shut herself off from hearing anything at all.

She wanted to listen, but the sound was blurry that she could not make out the sound.

She wanted to be pulled out of her sadness, but the weight of losing Nagisa was too heavy for her to take.

But as time passed by, a single voice started to form from within the choir. Chieri, after managing to hear so many voices outside of that door, was only hearing one. Her eyes slowly widened as Nagisa's ethereal image appeared before her, singing the song she wanted to hear the most. Then, Kirara started twinkling around her.

Nagisa's image cupped Chieri's face and gestured her outside. As she faced the door, the voices of the choir became clearer and clearer until she got the message. Her weak legs seemed to have gained strength for some time as she shakily stood on her feet and slowly walked her way to the door. With arms that could barely lift themselves up, she reached for the door. With bony hands that could barely grasp anything, she gripped the knob.

Weak as she was, she could not twist it. She struggled, but she was nowhere near having the ability to do so.

Then foreign hands reached out for hers. She looked behind her and saw Nagisa helping her out. The pink-haired girl looked back at Chieri and smiled. Chieri smiled back and nodded at Nagisa, seemed to have given the signal.

1, 2…

And with one twist, she turned the knob and pushed it outward. Slowly but surely, light covered her face. As she stepped into the light, she saw faces of her fellow members, understudies and successors alike. All of them, singing right in front of her door every single day just to get her out.

Chieri was surprised as her best friends Orine and Yuuka tackled her for an embrace. She them saw them crying and bawling, really glad that their song finally reached Chieri. She did not know what to express back then, but all she could muster was one little smile.

The rest cheered. Chieri has finally returned.

Behind the group, two girls stood far from them, smiling wide at their achievement. Anju and Erena looked at each other and grinned.

"We did it!"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, STORAGE ROOM

"… And there we go," a mysterious person was muttering to herself as she disposed of the body her fifth victim from the past two weeks. "From this point on, 16 parasites have already died and produces 32 new ones. I can use this body for three—no, four entire hours now."

"Didn't think you'd be here, killer," a new voiced chimed in from where the door was. The killer whipped her head to where the voice came from and saw a student leaning on the frame.

"Who are you?" the killer asked. Her voice presented no emotion, but it could sense danger coming from the person. Even when she was wearing a mask, she could sense as if the girl leaning on the door knew who she was.

"That's the first question you ask of the one who'll be arresting you?" the girl laughed. "I am Ohara Mari, and your days of spying and killing are now over, D.E.S."

"… Tch, my time is up," the girl muttered. "I'll be having my way with you next time, vermin. I'll give this girl back to you."

"Doesn't matter who you are behind that girl. I'll find you and I will kill you for making her your puppet," Mari suddenly growled, her expression changing and her voice deeply swearing revenge as the girl suddenly switched personalities.

"E-Eh? W-Where am I?" the girl meekly asked.

"Your covers are blown," Mari said and returned to her original smile. "Why don't you remove your mask and have a cup of tea with me as we discuss about the murders you've done?"


	16. Chapter 16

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, STORAGE ROOM

"So? Why don't we have a spot of tea while we talk about your murder spree?" Mari offered to the girl right in front of her. "How many cubes of sugar would you like with your tea?"

"M-Mari-san… Why are you here?" the girl asked. There was blood on her hands, which she could not clean in time. "H-How did you know?"

"Like I said, we can talk about everything after you give up trying to hide your face," Mari repeated. "So! Would you like Darjeeling? Or maybe Earl Grey? Or was it green tea? Why don't you take an order while we're here?

"Riko-chan?"

AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA, INTERROGATION ROOM: A WEEK AGO

Nakajima entered the room and was met with a foul smell.

"I knew it."

There has been a lot commotion about the smell around the room for an entire week, and Nakajima was assigned to attend to the case. Of course, he was shocked to hear it the first time, but he knew it wasn't impossible, given the situation at hand.

"We haven't heard from him for the past week, but we never knew it'd be like this. And now two of our other members have gone missing. It's probably safe to assume that they've been killed as well," he speculated.

"So you're gonna assume it was me, Nakajima-san?" a girl's voice chimed in to the crime scene, from behind the vice-captain. Nakajima whipped his head around him to find Ohara Mari peeking inside the room. "Agh, what foul smell…"

"Ohara Mari… What are you doing here?" Nakajima muttered, but enough for Mari to hear.

"My, what else? I'm going to investigate the crime scene for the killer and prove my innocence," Mari answered. "You probably already have all of us in Aqours as your suspects, and I'm high up there, am I right? That's why I'm gonna prove to you that I'm nowhere near being the culprit."

"You have no right to meddle in this case!" Nakajima yelled, swatting Mari away. "What suspects do is stay quiet and not get involved in the case until all evidences are found. You, as a suspect, should just stay put and—"

"Let the real killer run around and murder all of you?" Mari cut him off, a sadistic smile on her face. "That's no good, is it, Vice-Captain?"

"Kh!" Nakajima was unsure of what to do. Of course, if he just let the others sit back, the real killer will just run free. "… I give up."

"Good!" Mari approved of Nakajima's surrender. "Now, if you let me check in on the victim's body…" She entered the room and checked the soldier from head to toe. She kneeled before the corpse and made some tests.

Nakajima just looked at her intently as the girl made the investigation.

"Shot with a gun," Mari declared. "Two, three bullet wounds found. Yup, you just let a murderer run free with a gun in their hands. With a silencer at that. Now this is a problem."

Nakajima followed in to the room to check on the victim as well. "Those are indeed bullets. But why?"

"Now I'm no expert at your guns here, but this is probably somewhere near a pistol. You have one of those?" Mari asked.

"But we don't have live bullets in our artillery," Nakajima answered. "All of my crew in Gusion is armed with one, but—"

"That's where we start," Mari announced. "Then all of DES hold pistols for arms, right?"

"… That's what I know, but—"

"Then all who went on a mission to infiltrate a DES ship are possible suspects," Mari guessed. "Leaving the dead aside, that is. So whoever went on that mission could be one. Even Aqours."

"You're doubting your own group?"

"It's low, but doubting is all we have for now. And your statement," Mari added. "No one should have an alibi, not even our own. Not even me.

"So continuing on, we have someone who's been spying around for DES, killing people here and there. And that spy is one of us. Given we have only discovered this only now, we may be playing around someone who's been faking his or her personality this entire time. What joy?

"… Well, maybe either that, or they're moving against their will… Vice-Captain Nakajima, you sure are an important piece in the puzzle, aren't you? Being a former captain of a DES fleet, you should know everything about your fleet. How do you guys get spies?"

"… We don't. We simply attack our straightforward way," Nakajima answered.

"So the fact that there is a spy moving under DES is new to you, correct?" Mari asked.

"Not that I know of, but we have not used a spy," Nakajima answered once again.

"So the enemy is moving in a way even you would not know of," Mari concluded. "So this spy moves not for the fleet, huh… Vice-Captain, who stands in for you as captain when you're not around?"

"My right hand, Kirishima."

"Then let's say he's behind this spy. What do you think he'd do to get people to side him?" Mari interrogated.

"He'd use connections, most probably," Nakajima truthfully answered. "Kirishima has been a dirty player since the beginning, and would disobey the higher ups most of the time."

"Then say the victim still doesn't side him. What do you think he'd do?"

"What are you getting with this? Why is this about Kirishima?"

"Because he and you might help us pinpoint who exactly the killer is."

"… He'd threaten them. Death, loved ones, even the things they liked, he'd use anyone to his power, his own way."

"… I see."

"What? You mean you know who the killer is now?"

"Maybe. I'm getting there, but I still need more evidence."

"Like?"

"What if this girl is under control of DES right at this very moment? Would they be listening to our conversation and run away? Would they still be roaming around killing people? How does the spy receive orders?"

"You mean, like a signal to kill or something? A transmitter of some sort?"

"Vice-Captain, you seem to be getting behind technology. No idiot would give themselves away with that kind of evidence, you know? Here's what I got. What if the killer is being controlled completely against her will? Like mind control or something?

"Say DES wants a perfect person to kill. They want someone who'd follow orders accordingly and get away with clean hands. How do you think they'd want it? Of course, crossing out the threats and the transmitters. That's right, mind control. They can give whatever order they'd want, the way they want it, and the case is clean!

"But who? Who could be the perfect person for DES to control? The weakest one? They want us to think that way so we would assume the one we're most likely to suspect as being the weakest for them to reveal their true colors.

"What they don't want us to think, however, is that the killer has already been among us ever since they appeared out of nowhere. So all of us in Aqours are your suspects, but how about we look at the group itself? Each of us has already been in Uranohoshi up until recently, in which a little amount of transfer students got in the school. And among them was…"

~ PRESENT DAY

Mari took a sip of her tea, shaking her head. She wished it wasn't true, but it was.

"You, Sakurauchi Riko.

"You've only been with us for a few months, and we've had our share of experience, but who knew you've been hiding something from us this entire time?"

"… How did you know it was me?" Riko inferred, shaky and scared at Mari's conclusion.

"One, the probability of this mind control through the use of a synthetic parasite. Two, the certainty that it is indeed mind control through the use of synthetic parasite," Mari answered. "You know, the way you've been acting since you got kidnapped by DES was way too suspicious. Headaches? Constant delay in movement, then you get completely controlled when the parasite has grown as is ready to give birth to new larvae. Ya see, I'm not an airhead as to not know how alien tech works."

"…" Riko stayed silent. To think that Mari of all people would find out about her true identity. "… What the hell do YOU KNOW?!" she finally snapped, slamming her hand on the table and spilling the tea that was quietly resting in front of her. "You're just a human, but you know all of these things… Just who are you?!"

Mari took time to respond "… Like you said, just a normal human," she calmly responded as she lifted her teacup and took a sip of her tea. "But this human knows all about you."

"What nonsense!" Riko yelled, spilling more and more of the tea. Some of it has already stung Riko's hand with the steaming hot water, but she could not care less. "You know nothing about me and what I've been through, Mari-san! I was just an ordinary girl with an ordinary family, and I wanted to stay that way! I was contented with what I had! But to have myself randomly kidnapped and chosen as a DES spy, get myself into training that's basically torture, to have a parasite stuck in my head and manipulated like a doll?! Heck, all of what I once liked are basically my fears now! Do you ever get the feeling that you should be thinking dogs are cute but you couldn't because you were forced to think they're not cute at all?! You don't know anything about that, don't you?! Yet you all treat me as a laughingstock and tease me all the time! Don't you ever regret the words you are saying?! You probably don't even know what they always told me to trigger this damn parasite inside of me, do you?! So don't you dare say you know even a single speck about me, because you don't! Argh, this is so damn frustrating!"

As Riko was about to shout any more, Mari got unconfortable about what she was going to say and turned her seriousness to concern. "Riko-chan, I know what you're gonna say, and I'm about to tell you now that it's not gonna be good for all of us if you're gonna say it. Don't—"

"Maybe I shouldn't have met you guys in the first place."

"Riko-chan, you—!"

As Mari tried to reach out a hand to stop Riko from saying any more, Riko pulled out a survival knife from under the sleeves of her uniform and lopped off Mari's outreached left hand in mere milliseconds; so fast that Mari was not able to react just as fast. The chopped off hand toppled Mari's teacup over and landed next to it, causing the spillage to mix blood and tea dripping off the table.

Mari turned her attention to her missing hand and stared at it before reacting to the severe pain it caused her. She screamed two octaves over and clutched at her wrist where her hand should have been. However, that did not stop the bleeding, as blood continued dripping to the floor, so much that it was already forming a small puddle.

Riko, however, showed no pity for her victim as she raised her knife for the kill, but she was awakened from looking at an easily pained Mari. Her eyes of fury later returned to their soft, delicate ones.

"M-Mari-san…? What are you doing down there—?!" Riko, who was unconscious before she lifted her knife, asked as she stared at Mari who was agonizing over the hand she just lost. "Mari-san, why are you…?! Eh…?" She soon noticed the knife she was holding the entire time. Her eyes widened. "W-Was I… being controlled again? No, this is not happening…!"

"But it is now."

Riko whipped her head towards Mari, who stopped shouting. She was wearing a smile. It was an eccentric smile. In fact, she was on the verge of bursting out laughing. Riko suddenly became confused. _She was in so much pain until recently, so why…?!_

She noticed Mari looking towards the door and followed her gaze. She caught sight of blue hair before the person who owned the lock hid it. She knew that shade of blue.

"And you won't be able to deny it. We have a witness," Mari added. "That person happened to be your own lover."


	17. Chapter 17

Yoshiko has already suspected Riko the entire time. The entire duration of the murders, she has been wondering where Riko might be in such critical times. She lived in constant worry that Riko might as well become the next one, being the weakest-looking at the time, but she could not shake the thought that she might be using that weakness as an excuse.

What she feared, however, was that their relationship might change for the worse if Riko was found out. So she kept silent during the next murders. She did not want the others to know of her thoughts on the case so that she could be with Riko forever.

And there she was, eavesdropping on the conversation between Mari and Riko as the former laid out all the evidence she had about Riko being the killer. Her heart was beating fast as she listened in, already on the verge of bursting out into tears. At every point Mari made, Yoshiko's heart ached as if a bullet bore itself into her chest. Her eyes widened at the sound of something being sliced off, and peeked inside to see what happened. She saw Mari on her knees screaming from pain, and Riko with a bloodied knife raised above her head. She almost screamed as well, but she covered her mouth to keep her voice from coming out.

Then, Mari laughed and looked in her direction. Yoshiko got shocked from such an evil look and turned away to hide behind the door again. But as she leaned on the wall, she heard Riko.

"… Yocchan?"

The mention of her very nickname made Yoshiko's heartbeat rise, not from the fact that Riko noticed her presence, but the way Riko called her name. Rather than the sweet and endearing voice Riko originally had, it was cold and empty, like Yoshiko's name never came to her the entire time.

"Yocchan, I can explain! Yocchan!"

By this time, Yoshiko kicked out her trembling legs and ran. With a weak start, she stumbled across the metal hallway. She did not know why she ran away from her own lover, but her instincts told her that something dangerous was about to happen, and she should not get involved. Her legs dragged her along what seemed like an endless hallway.

"Dammit, legs! Stop!" Yoshiko pleaded as she ran, but her legs seemed to not listen. She wanted to turn around and meet Riko face-to-face. She wanted to find out what happened exactly back in the room.

Maybe it was all an act to scare her.

Maybe it was a prank.

Maybe it was joke.

Maybe it was a dream.

But what happened back there looked too real to be all those things. Yoshiko wanted to think otherwise, but it was too horrifying a scene for it to be all those things.

She was running out of breath. She stopped for a while and leaned on the wall to rest. She took heavy breaths to keep up with the air she lost. She opened her eyes, however, and saw Riko right in front of her. Riko wasn't sweating at all, much less out of breath. The latter looked at Yoshiko with seemingly desperate eyes, and Yoshiko could only respond with a gasp of fear.

"Yocchan, I can explain," Riko started, grabbing Yoshiko by the shoulders. "M-Mari-san was just about to kill me, and I had to defend myself. She doesn't understand me, Yocchan. You have to believe me. Yocchan, you're the only one who understands me. Please."

Yoshiko was panicking. Who was she facing right then? Was it the real Riko?

But the way Riko spoke was able to convince Yoshiko that she was being sincere. That Riko could be trusted. That what Riko was saying is true, and that Yoshiko should believe her.

"… Riri…" As Yoshiko called her out, however, she was wondering what world she would be entering if she took Riko's word. "I… can trust you… right?"

"Yes, yes you can!" Riko, however being pushy, confirmed Yoshiko's statement, and opened her arms for an embrace. Yoshiko briefly looked at Riko's form before thinking of accepting Riko's embrace.

With shaky steps, Yoshiko approached Riko to return the embrace. As soon as she did, Riko tackled her and held her tight. The hug itself was comforting, because Yoshiko felt warmth in Riko's arms. It was as if all of what happened earlier must have indeed been a dream.

Then…

"I'm sorry. And goodbye."

Riko whispered in Yoshiko's ear. Her voice was stiff and cold.

Before Yoshiko could ask what Riko meant, she felt a sharp object dig itself deep through her back. She could have paid it no mind, but the pain was immense. Her eyes widened in realization as the pain keeps on getting more intense.

"W-Wha…?!" Yoshiko coughed out, as the words barely managed to reach her throat.

"I couldn't help it. This is to protect me, Yocchan. Now all you have to do is lay down and take a good rest. Goodnight… Yoccchan."

Riko pulled away from the embrace and left Yoshiko to stand with a knife on her back. The latter did try to hold her own, but then stumbled and fell on her back, deepening the stab. Blood immediately made its way across the floor as Yoshiko rolled to one side just to stop the already excruciating pain. She curled over and coughed out blood herself.

With her fading vision, the last thing Yoshiko could see was Riko looking down on her with cold eyes. Her blood made itself through Riko's hands. She should have known there was something different in Riko. She should have known better than to immediately trust someone just by their voice.

"… I guess I… am an idiot… 'till the end, huh…?"

Were Yoshiko's last words before she finally gave in and laid down dead.

Riko was not able to follow everything that happened from the time she opened her arms to accept Yoshiko in an embrace.

She turned back to consciousness too late, as the light in her eyes returned. She took a look at Yoshiko, who laid down on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding her. There was a knife sticking from her back.

"… Yocchan?"


	18. Chapter 18

Riko felt Yoshiko's limp body fall on her arms, the knife clattering to the floor.  
"Yocchan… Yocchan? Did I… did I…"  
Yoshiko's stomach was stabbed.  
 _Why, yes we did…..  
_ "No, no!" Riko shouted. "I've had enough! I've had-aaah!"  
Riko's head was hit with splitting headache.  
"I've had enough of this, it's time to get out of here!"  
Riko's alternate self, borne out of brutal training and experimentation from DES, has reasserted itself.  
Riko then knelt to grab Yoshiko's body and carried it over her back.  
"Huh? Why am I carrying this dead meat…"  
 _I won't allow you to leave her!  
_ "Tsk… I have no time for this!" RIko said as she ran towards the hangar, which is getting near.  
Right now there was no one around, but that could change as soon as those two activate the alarms. Fortunately Riko was prepared. From her pocket she pulled a USB and plugged it into the nearest terminal. Immediately she heard the sound of doors closing.  
Now everyone is locked in their rooms. Riko hurried to the hangar.

The hangar was mostly abandoned; the mechanics were on their break, the suits left unattended.  
Fortunately the Kimaris was currently being repaired, a spare Shiden arm in place of the arm it currently has.  
Riko threw Yoshiko's body inside and then went inside the cockpit. As she was getting inside, however, someone tapped her shoulder.  
"Riko-chan?"  
"Chika-chan!"  
The orange-haired girl was standing in front of the Kimaris, a questioning look on her face. She didn't know about the truth yet. Then her eyes were drawn to the blood on Riko's clothes.  
"Riko-chan, what are those-"  
Riko punched Chika, making her hit the railing and knocking her out.  
"Don''t make me have to kill you."  
RIko activated the Gundam Kimaris, broke free of its restraints, grabbing a rifle and shield from the Shiden standing next to it, and used the gun to blow a hole in the hangar, launching.

Chika was in shock.  
What just happened?  
""Ri… Riko-chan… what…"  
"Chikachi!"  
Chika saw Mari running towards her, cradling one of her arms inside her blazer. It was bleeding. Following her was the vice-captain of the ship, Nakajima.  
"Mari-san, what happened to you?"  
"Forget that, where's RIko?"  
Nakajima saw the blown hole in the hangar. "We were too late," he said.  
"Too late? Too late for what?" Chika asked, standing up.  
"Chikachi… Riko-chan… she was the spy."  
"Spy?" Chika was confused.  
"Yes… She betrayed us. She's with DES," Nakajima said.  
"No!" Chika got up and started running.  
"Where are you going?" Nakajima said.  
"I'm going to bring her back, and you're not gonna stop me!" Chika jumped into the nearest open cockpit and got in the controls.  
Soon the suit was flying, going out through the same hole the Kimaris had just been through.  
Said suit was the Gundam Barbatos.  
"That-how was she able to fly that?" Nakajima asked. "And why are the damn alarms not activated yet? We have a fugitive on the loose, I need more experienced people in the air!"  
Nakajima's communicator beeped… It was Tsubasa.  
"Tsubasa-san? What's the matter with the alarms—"  
"We've been had," Tsubasa replied. "Riko installed a virus in the system. The doors have been locked. I've got Mayuyu working on it now, but right now we are all trapped."  
"Dammnit!" Nakajima said.  
Mari was already going towards a Shiden.  
"Wait a minute young lady, where do you think you're going?"  
"I'm going out there. You need somebody with experience, that's me," Mari said.  
"With an arm like that?" Nakajima pointed out Mari's left arm which ended in a stump.  
"I'll be fine," Mari insisted. "It's not like you have a choice anyway. I have to support Chikacchi." 

Mari got into the cockpit, using her right arm —her dominant arm, fortunately— to activate the Shiden.  
"This is gonna be hard," she said, "But I have no choice."  
The Shiden launched, flying out using the hole in the hangar, it's movements a bit sluggish.  
Nakajima slammed his fist on a railing. Isn't there anything he could do?

Chika was fiddling with the controls of the Barbatos.  
"The controls are different from the Shiden… How does this work…"  
The sensors alerted her, and on her camera she saw the Kimaris.  
"Riko-chan!"

RIko was alerted to the presence of the Barbatos.  
"Someone's after me!"  
Riko turned to shoot her opponent, then heard Chika's voice.  
"Riko-chan!"  
Riko hesitated at first, but her evil self took over her almost completely.  
She aimed and fired.

"Riko-ch—"  
Chika was surprised by the gunfire coming her way.  
Panicking, Chika manipulated the Barbatos' controls, making the Barbatos dodge most of the attack, but destroying the shoulder armor.  
"Riko-chan, come back. I'm sure it's all a big mistake!" Chika begged.  
Chika heard Riko's reply, her voice pained, before taking on a more confident tone. "I'm not the Riko you know anymore. Now stay out of my way or I'll be forced to kill you, too!"  
Tears formed around Chika's eyes. "Is it really impossible for you to come back?"  
Before Riko could reply, she was distracted by gunfire. It was a second Shiden.  
"Stay out of this, Chika-chi!"

Despte being injured Mari was doing a relatively good job of piloting the Shiden. However if she were to get into a close combat fight, she won't be able to respond effectively.  
"Mari-san!"  
"She's not Riko-chan anymore…."  
Mari kept firing at Riko, trying to immobilize the Kimaris, but Riko was too fast.  
"We can't let her get away!"  
Riko decided to move closer to Mari.  
"It must be you in there, Mari! Going out to fight me in that state… I'll teach you a short, sharp lesson how that's a bad idea!"  
Riko used the huge riot shield as a weapon, charging forward with the intent of slamming into Mari's Shiden.  
Mari knew she was outmatched, but took the challenge, flying away from Riko, trying her best to manipulate the Shiden with just one functional hand and another one ending in a stump.  
The Kimaris was much faster, and had the benefit of having a pilot with two working hands.  
"Mari-san!" Chika said, worried.  
"I'm sorry, Chika-chi, but I won't ask you to lend me a hand." Mari snickered at her own joke even while being chased.  
"Mari-san, now is now the time for jokes!"  
"It's always the time for jokes, Chika-chi! Especially now-that I have to eliminate Riko." Mari's voice took on a more serious tone as she tried to aim her gun, but it was faulty because of her amputated arm. Riko charged into her, hitting the gun arm and detaching it.  
"Hah! Eliminate me? With a body like yours? Think again!" Riko was starting to move back towards them again, ready to attack.  
Chika was crying already.  
 _What happened to our group… now… What worth am I as a leader?  
_ "This is the end, Mari!" Riko said as she charged forward.  
Mari tried to evade, but she was getting tired of piloting with just one arm.  
Chika decided what she should do.  
Flying in front of Mari, she took the blow head on, stopping the shield from hitting her blonde teammate.  
"Chika-chi?" Mari said, surprised.  
"Mari-san, have you forgotten? All nine of us, we are Aqours… no more, no less!"  
"Yoshiko-chans' gone, Chika-chi!" Mari said.  
"Even so! I will bring Riko-chan back! Chika said as she pushed the Kimaris. "As Aqours leader, I CAN DO NO LESS!" Chika gave one final push, putting some distance between Riko and them.  
Riko was surprised by Chika's intervention.  
"This strength… what is this…"  
Chika started to sing. "Remember, Riko-chan! Please remember!"  
It was the first song the performed together, Daisuki Dattara Daijobou. But it was slower… sadder.

 _Kirari!_ _  
_ _Tokimeki ga umareta nda to_ _  
_ _Ki ga tsuita wake wa me no mae no kimi datte koto sa_

Riko started backing off.  
"No! Stay away!" Riko said, firing her gun. Chika ignored it, letting it hit the armor as she charged forward, using her hands to rip the shield off the Kimaris' arm.

 _"Yatte mitai"_ _  
_ _Ugokidashita kokoro wa mada mayoi o kakaete yurete iru yo_ _  
_ _Soredemo sutaato shita no wa unmei kana_ _  
_ _Kimochi ga tsunagarisou nanda_

RIko fought back, firing her gun again, this time directly at the Barbatos' joints as Chika was getting ready for another attack. Since she was an amateur, Chika's movements leave a lot of openings, allowing Riko to fight back. Her shots hit, and one of the arms of the Barbatos got damaged.  
Chika wasn't deterred though.

 _Shiranai koto bakari nanimo kamo ga (doushitara ii no?)_ _  
_ _Soredemo kitai de ashi ga karui yo (janpu da!)_ _  
_ _Ondosa nante itsuka keshichaette ne_ _  
_ _Genki dayo genki o dashite iku yo_

She kept going, slamming her open hand into the Kimaris' face, planning on bringing it down on the sea… then suddenly her grip loosened, and the Barbatos started falling into the sea.  
Mari, stunned watching the events, sprang into action.  
"Chika-chi? Chikachi?!"  
She flew to aid Chika, while Riko hesitated before flying away, back to the DES mothership. _  
_


	19. Chapter 19

Honoka paced in her room, unable to see what has happening outside. She knew something was up with that girl Riko, she should have acted… she shook her head. No. This is something Aqours has to resolve by themselves.  
Earlier, she –and the rest of the Katyusha's crew—found themselves locked in whatever room they were currently in thanks to a virus. She knows that Mayuyu is now working to reactivate the doors, so there's nothing she could do but wait.  
Finally the doors opened. Honoka rushed out the door. Along the way, she was met with the other members of Aqours, who joined her in running toward the ship's bridge.  
As soon as she reached the bridge, she immediately asked, "What's happening outside?"  
Tsubasa was staring at the video feed, too transfixed with it to give them an overview.  
Honoka saw the events unfold— a Shiden engaging the half-fixed Gundam Kimaris before being overpowered, and the Barbatos fighting back. To this, Honoka's eyes widened.  
"Who's controlling the Barbatos?" Honoka asked. "No one else should be able to—!"  
Then the Barbatos lost control and fell into the sea, the Shiden coming into its aid. The Kimaris flew away from the scene and into the horizon.  
On Tsubasa's screen, Mari's face showed up her face full of worry... "Get some medics ready, I don't know how Chikacchi is doing…"  
"Mari!" Kanan said in shock. "What are you doing there?! And… Chika's with you?!"  
"I'll explain later, Kanan," Mari said in a serious tone. "Chikacchi seems to be unconscious…"  
Kanan shook her head in disbelief. She looked around her to realize everyone was stunned from the revelation. However, she saw that You was also worried upon hearing Chika's condition. After all of what happened earlier, of course she wouldn't not worry.  
Kanan tapped You's shoulder to bring her back to reality. Together they went to the hangar, waiting for the arrival of Mari and Chika. As they ran their way, Dia looked at them until the doors closed.  
"I guess Kanan is going to give Mari a piece of her mind…" Dia said, sighing in disdain. She had her arms crossed the entire time, but her fingernails dug deep into her uniform that her arm started to bleed. She might have been the calmest among the group, but she was also worried about everybody.  
"What happened out there, Onee-chan?" Ruby asked. "W-We were all locked in our rooms…"  
"That's right. And where's Yoshiko-chan, zura?" Hanamaru added, a hand gripped on her chest as if she was holding on to her heart.  
Honoka ran up to the two girls and tried to comfort them by patting their shoulders. "It's going to be alright, okay? Go back to your rooms, please." As she said this, she and Dia made eye contact. Her hands were gripping on the girls' shoulders out of worry.  
"But—!" Ruby countered.  
"No, she's right, Ruby," Dia said, cutting Ruby off. "This seems to be a serious matter… let me assess the situation first. You girls need to rest."  
Now that her sister herself was telling her what to do, Ruby and Hanamaru drooped their heads and walked out of the bridge. Dia watched the door close behind them.  
"So? What happened?"

Tsubasa and Honoka told Dia what transpired. Below, in the hangar, Nakajima was also telling You and Kanan what happened.  
"Is… is that so? That is…" Dia was speechless. She felt weak. Her arms dropped as if she was a limp doll. Tears quickly formed themselves around her eyes. "Th-That can't be!"  
"I'm sorry," Honoka said. "We weren't able to do anything. It's our fault Yoshiko-chan…"  
The door slid open, revealing Ruby and Hanamaru eavesdropping on the conversation. They for once didn't listen to Dia's request.  
"Yoshiko-chan…" Hanamaru asked in tears. "Sh-She… Why…? How…?" She trailed off as she sobbed, then started crying.  
Ruby was on her knees, weak from hearing the tragic news. Tears streamed down her face in almost no time all. Her cries were heard all over the room.  
"Ruby, I told you… to go back to your… room, didn't I…?" Dia was about to scold her sister, but she knew she was in no position to be telling her sister off in such a grave situation. Soon enough, she couldn't hold in her sobs and broke down crying.  
It wasn't long, however, before Dia recovered and steeled herself once again. She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her uniform.  
"Come, Ruby, Hanamaru... Let's go to the hangar and get a straight answer out of all this." Dia then went ahead and walked past the two towards the door. Ruby and Hanamaru looked at the third year and wiped their tears as well and followed Dia out of the door.  
Honoka followed the group as the three made their way down to the hangar.

You and Kanan were overwhelmed by what Nakajima told them. The two of them sat in a corner while Nakajima was directing the medical staff waiting for the arrival of Mari and Chika. Probably not to get in the way. "Yukirin, make sure Ms. Takami gets a full examination," he reminded the idol, who was also acting as a nurse for the ship. To his command, Yukirin nodded once as she and her staff prepared their first aid equipment.  
"I… I can't believe it," You started as she stared into space, her face stiff. "Riko-chan… she… she was evil, all this time?"  
"No, she wasn't," Nakajima answered confidently, almost a hundred percent certain of what he just said.  
"Nakajima-san!" You called out and made some space for the captain to sit down.  
"Thank you," Nakajima expressed his gratitude as he sat down beside the school idol. "To answer your question, no. Your friend is still good and just, believe me. Even I was surprised she'd be the oppressor this entire time. Of all the people around, she looked like the person least likely to kill somebody else. It's just… I've heard about rumours back when I was in DES, back when we were still adept at human experiments. There was this one operation that rubbed me the wrong way. I thought they were hoaxes, fantasy you'd so call it, but it seems I was mistaken."  
"So is that what happened? Riko-chan was experimented on?" You guessed.  
"I suppose so," Nakajima replied with a hint of sadness in his expression. "It's somewhat like a mind control system, but I can't say for sure until I see it."  
"What about Mari?" Kanan asked. "How does she fit into all this?"  
Nakajima shook his head. "I don't know, unfortunately. She's always been a mystery to all of us on board, as we had the least records of her. But it seems like she has a lot of secrets hidden that she hasn't told anyone."  
Dia, Hanamaru, Ruby, and Honoka arrived in the hangar.  
Dia went to Kanan immediately. "I heard what happened."  
Kanan nodded, barely hiding a sour expression from the situation before them. "Same here. It seems Mari is hiding something from us."  
"And Yoshiko-san…" Dia said.  
Kanan's face scrunched from the very mention of Yoshiko's name. "She… She's gone…. I can't believe it… If only Mari told us her _damn_ secrets, maybe—"  
Her voice was interrupted by the sound of engines. The Shiden, cradling the beaten-up Gundam Barbatos, finally entered the hangar.  
Mari got out of the cockpit of the Shiden and assisted the medics in opening the Barbatos cockpit.  
The rest of Aqours, Nakajima, and Honoka all watched as Chika was carried down from the cockpit and put into a stretcher.  
As Chika was being carried away, You immediately ran to Chika's side. "Is she okay? What's going to happen to her?" she asked.  
"We're not sure yet," Yukirin answered and shook her head. "We'll have to do a medical exam to be sure what happened though."  
Yukirin and her staff started to move Chika out of the hangar. You came with the staff, following close behind. The rest of the crew then went on cleaning up the mess the Mobile Suits made. The rest of Aqours stared at Chika getting wheeled into the ship.  
Meanwhile, Mari was hanging around the back and was just about to sneak out, but Kanan noticed her. She and Dia immediately confronted her. The caught Mari's arm and made her face the pair.  
"There's something we need to know." Dia started. "What are you hiding from us?"  
"That's right, we have a right to know," Kanan added.  
Mari quickly hid her severed arm and tried to calm the two down. "Slow down, Dia, Kanan. I know what you want, okay? Let's wait for the situation to cool down, shall we?"  
Kanan seemed to have no choice but to agree, and sighed in exasperation. She then noticed drops of blood trailing down to behind Mari's back. Kanan then narrowed her eyes in suspicion.  
"What the hell are you hiding behind your back, Mari? Show us!" Kanan insisted and grabbed on Mari's arm forcefully. What she saw was a stumped arm, which was lousily wrapped in bandages. To this, both Kanan and Dia gasped.  
"Wh-What happened to your arm?!" Kanan shouted. Meanwhile, Dia's eyes merely widened the longer she looked at Mari's missing hand. Both their mouths hung open in sheer shock.  
"It… it got severed," Mari admitted, rubbing said arm. "Had trouble with Riko-chan, and then—"  
"Mari, you're always like this, making us worry for you!" Kanan screeched. "And now you're telling me Riko cut your hand off?! What is happening, Mari? Tell us everything!"  
Mari shook her head in self-disappointment. "If only I was faster… I could have stopped her, you know? I could've done much more, this couldn't have—"  
Kanan slapped her. "You could have told us, Mari! We could have helped! Had you told us, there's no way Yoshiko would've… would've…" She then balled her fists and was prepared to jab Mari in the face.  
Dia stepped in to intervene. "Now, Kanan, hold yourself—"  
"Dia. Kanan is right," Mari set her aside. "I was stupid for thinking of doing this alone. I owe you all an explanation. But first, we need to wait for Chika to recover. She needs to hear this as well. All of you might want to know who I actually am."

Honoka was staring up at the Barbatos' open cockpit.  
 _How was Chika able to move the Barbatos?_ Honoka thought. Making the Barbatos move required a lot of willpower, and being able to maneuver like Chika did was something more difficult.  
She got inside the Barbatos' cockpit and viewed the battle data.  
"Interesting…."


	20. Chapter 20

Chika was inside the Barbatos' cockpit, making it move. She didn't know what she was doing at the time exactly, but it felt like instinct. When she was face to face with Riko, she felt like she wanted to sing, and she did. She remembered attacking Riko, that feeling of wanting to bring her back, then she was falling…

Chika woke up with a jolt. She looked around her and saw that she was in a hospital bed. She saw that sitting by her bedside was You, who was lightly asleep.  
"You-chan…."  
You slowly opened her eyes and realized that Chika was awake.  
"Chika-chan!" You instantly hugged Chika. "I was worried, you know?"  
"What was I doing-oh, right!" Chika said. "Riko-chan! What about Riko-chan! And Yoshiko-chan, too!"  
You broke the hug and held Chika by the shoulders, her face refusing to meet Chika's.  
"Riko-chan is… and Yoshiko-chan…"  
Chika didn't need You to finish that sentence. She knew the answer. "I failed…"  
Tear started to well up in her eyes.  
Just then the door opened. Chika saw a familiar face enter the room-Mari Ohara. The eccentric Aqours member has just shown that she's more than meets the eye. What secrets could she have hidden?  
Behind her is Honoka Kousaka, leader of Muse as well as a veteran AKB fighter. She had a strange look on her face. It seemed like she and Mari were discussing something.  
"Hello, Chika-chan," Honoka said, approaching Chika. "You did a good job out there," she added, patting Chika's head.  
Chika just shook it off. "No I didn't… I… "  
"You didn't fail, Chika-chi," Mari said. "Not just yet. Or are you just gonna stay here and do nothing?"  
Chika thought about it. She was Aqours' leader. She had to to this.  
"Let me help."  
Mari smiled. "Good! Well, you seem a bit weak to stand, so we'll get you a wheelchair maybe? I really need to show you guys this place…."

In another room, the sibling idols Sarah and Leah Kazuno, also known as Saint Snow, were recovering from their injuries.  
"Have you heard, Leah? Someone died again," Sarah said.  
Leah only nodded. She wasn't much of a talker, so much more now that something like this has happened.  
"They used us, and they won't stop until they destroy all idols… what kind of goal is that? Ridiculous," Sarah said. "But that ridiculous goal is costing lives. I've seen people being cheered on by our music, and to remove that is…"  
Leah finally spoke up.  
"So? What are you going to do about it?"  
Sarah paused. Her sister always speaks up when it matters.  
"I'm going to this ship's Captain," Sarah said. She pointed to her head. "All those MS piloting they programmed into us? It's still here. And I want to use it to stop them."

Chika was being wheeled into another room by Mari, where Dia, Kanan, Hanamaru and Ruby were waiting for her.  
"They've been very worried about you… " Mari said.  
"That was a reckless thing to do, Chika-chan," You said. "You really had me worried…"  
"But you showed a great deal of ability in piloting the Barbatos," Honoka said. "How did you do it?"  
Chika thought about it. She really wasn't sure. "It's… instinct I guess? I knew how to pilot a Shiden, and the controls were a bit similar although they handle a bit more roughly, but in the end I was able to make it move the way I wanted too."  
 _it was rough because it was set to my preference,_ Honoka thought. _But you were able to make it move as you want just by instinct? Is the machine responding to you, Chika Takami?  
_ Honoka looked at Mari, who had a smug look on her face. What was that all about?  
Finally they were in front of the door.  
"Here we go," Mari said. She entered first.  
"HI everybody!"  
Dia got up first. "Mari-san!"  
"Did Chika-chan wake up?" Kanan asked.  
You wheeled Chika in. Chika waved feebly. "Hi guys…"  
"Chika, you're fine!" Kanan said. "Thank goodness."  
"I'm happy you're okay," Ruby said.  
"that's right, zura! It would be worrying what we should do it if our leader were to get seriously injured," Hanamaru said.  
Chika smiled, but then remembered what happened to Yoshiko. She looked away from Hanamaru and Ruby, who were Yoshiko's closest friends.  
"Hanamaru-chan, Ruby-chan… I'm sorry…"  
Hanamaru and Ruby hugged her tight.  
"It's alright… there was nothing you could have done…" Hanamaru said.  
"Please, stop crying, Chika-chan…" Ruby said.  
"Sorry," Chika wiped away her tears. " I have to be strong. I need to save Riko-chan."  
"It's not just you, Chika-chi," Mari said. "We will save Riko-chan. And I know just how."

"So, why are we here in Awashima Hotel?" Kanan asked.  
"You mean to tell me something is here!?" Dia added.  
"You're catching on," Mari said. "Yes, there is something hidden underneath my house. And It's going to help us win this fight."  
"That's impossible, we played everyday in your house as kids," Kanan said. "We know every nook and cranny in this huge place."  
Mari winked. "Not all of them."

Awashima hotel had little customers now. In fact there wasn't really anyone left but the staff.  
"Isn't this bad for business?" Honoka remarked.  
"Oh, no, no," Mari said. "It's not the season for visitors anyway, so there wouldn't really be many people, attacks or not."  
Finally they reached an elevator. "here we are. Before we go down, Promise me, Kanan, Dia, that no matter what, we'll still be friends, okay?"  
"Of course we are!" Kanan said. "We've been through so many things together…"  
"That just got me curious. Just what is hidden underneath this place?" Dia asked.  
"Well, no point making it longer," Mari said. "Let's go down!"  
Mari was closest to the elevator keypad and pushed the buttons in a specific order.  
"There. We're good to go."  
The elevator seemed to descend for such a long time.  
Finally they reached the bottom and the door opened, revealing a huge underground complex. Metal supports are all around to prevent the ground from collapsing around them, and mobile suits were standing in both sides. Many technicians were running about.  
""It… it's the future, zura…" Hanamaru said as she got out.  
"What the hell is this?" Dia asked.  
You and Chika were the last to get out.  
"Look at all this, You-chan!" Chika said. "There's mobile suits everwhere!"  
"That just makes me wonder who exactly Mari-chan is… plus this complex is huge! It probably extends way over the boundaries of Awashima hotel."  
Mari overheard her. "Correct, You-chan! This is a huge complex. In fact, it stretches all over Uchiura."  
"What? All over the place?" Dia asked.  
"How is that possible?" Ruby asked. "That must mean… you own the entire town?"  
"Well, it's a strange story," Mari said. "But I'll tell you, no problem."  
Mari began talking as they walked towards one of the corridors. All around them technicians were busy with various mobile suits. Whenever they noticed Mari they would stop what they were doing and acknowledge her, and Mari would nod and motion for them to continue their work.  
"You are familiar with Time Travel?" Mari asked.  
"Just like in the movies?" Chika asked.  
"Well, sort of! But not exactly," Mari replied. "Either way, it's a different time travel than what DES or, you, Honoka, used to get to this time.  
If you remember, Honoka, there will be a calamity war a hundred years from now. It will be a devastating war, and it will push humanity out of Earth and into space, leading to the rise of various space colonies.  
Our family, the Oharas, were one of the designers of the mechs and technologies used in that war. And DES has since kept using our tech for their operations.  
My family regretted it dearly but DES was too powerful.  
Finally there was that time when you disappeared, Honoka. You, a prominent member, disappearing, was certainly something. Then my family heard rumors about Time Travel.. and how a DES fleet managed to duplicate the feat.  
Our family did the same, our way to atone for our mistakes. We knew we had to stop DES.  
Unfortunately my family arrived here too early, before either you or DES arrived.  
So we settled here. Using our knowledge of the future we managed to make it big here in this world, and wait for DES arrival.  
That was when I was born.  
Yes, I wasn't part of the group that time traveled. My parents were. I was born here, in this time. So you can say I'm not really a time traveler, but my parents are."  
"What, was that?" Dia said.  
"So.. that's the truth?" Kanan said.  
"The whole truth," Mari replied. "I'm, sorry to have hidden it for so long. But now that it's come to this, I have to reveal it."  
Mari paused at one of the mobile suits which was in the process of being dismantled, it's armor being removed.  
"Recognize this?"  
Chika did. "Wait, that's the red suit! The one that helped me before!"  
"Yours truly," Mari said. "That was me. I'm pretty talented, aren't I? I helped you back then, I was pretty good…"  
Kanan walked towards Mari and gave her a hug.  
"Kanan… what…"  
"It's alright, Mari. It's alright. We know how you feel."  
"How I feel?"  
"No need to hide it," Dia said, approaching the two and placing her hand on Mari's shoulder.  
"You feel angry because you failed to save Riko, right?"  
Mari tried to deny it, but tears poured out of her eyes.  
"Yes… I feel bad for not being able to save her… what was the point of my power if I wasn't able to save her?"  
Kanan broke her hug and held Mari's shoulders, looking at her eye to eye while Dia stood back.  
"Mari, don't blame yourself. You tried, and that's what matters. We're here now. We all feel the same way."  
"And we're going to get Riko back," Dia said. "We'll make them pay."  
Mari nodded, wiping away her tears. "Alright… come with me to the next room. It's time."


	21. Chapter 21

Chika and the others entered the next room, where several mobile suits are waiting.  
Honoka looked around and saw that these suits looked familiar.  
"Wait," Honoka said. "Aren't these-"  
"The legendary gundam suits," Mari said. "I stole the data from AKB and built my own copies. Which is why I was able to make this!"  
Mari pointed to a nearby Gundam and Honoka recognized it immediately despite the modifications made to it.  
"Barbatos!"  
The suit was heavily modified but still bears the iconic blue, white, and yellow armor and head design. However it is much more bulkier, with larger arms that made it more like a beast.  
"Chikachi, you wanted to help bring Riko back. This shall be your sword," Mari said.  
Chika was surprised. "My…"  
"It was made using the data of your battle with the Barbatos," Mari said. "This suits your fighting style."  
"But I'm not sure how I was able to move the Barbatos!" Chika countered.  
"Barbatos answered you," Honoka said. "You were able to move it because of your strong willpower and desire to save your friend. Don't worry."  
"Honoka-san…" Chika looked at Honoka and nodded. "Alright. I can do it!"  
"Honoka, Chikachi, stay here, get familiar with the suit. I'll be relying on you for the upcoming battle."  
"Okay. Teach me everything you know, Honoka-senpai!" Chika said.

As the two looked over the new Barbatos and are assisted by technicians, Mari guided the group to the next suit, a stark white gundam with long cannons on its' back.  
"This one is for long range artillery. It's made for two people two. And I know just the perfect team… Dia! Ruby-chan!" Mari said.  
Dia stepped forward alongside Ruby.  
"I'll give you this suit. Use it well."  
Dia looked at the suit and whispered at Mari. "Can we repaint it pink?"  
Mari, whose face had been serious until now, broke into a smile.  
"Of course, Dia, of course!" She said, giving a meaningful look to the clueless Ruby.  
"Mari-san!" Dia shouted.  
"Oh don't worry, Dia." Mari called over some technicians.  
"Talk to these guys, they'll do your requests for your suit."  
Dia wasted no time talking to the technicians who started taking notes.

Mari pointed to some blue armor pieces that were being lifted by crane to a trailer transport. Also on the trailer is a huge sword.  
"What about that?" Kanan asked.  
"That's yours," Mari said.  
Kanan gave Mari an odd look. "Mari.. that's not a robot. That's just pieces."  
"Of course I won't give you just the pieces, Kanan," Mari said. "I'm retrofitting my Grimgerde, to have these armor pieces instead. I'll entrust the finished unit to you."  
"But what about you, Mari?" Kanan said.  
"Oh, don't worry about me. That one's mine." Mari pointed to a white gundam with wings.  
"I'll need your support while I'm piloting that."  
Mari nodded. "Fine. Let's fight together."  
Mari then looked at You and Hanamaru.  
"For you girls, I have some custom Shidens. You, I'll expect you to teach Hanamaru how to pilot, since you already have experience," Mari said.  
"Okay," You answered.  
"I'm in your hands!" Hanamaru said.  
Mari pointed to a white Shiden with a horn facing forward.  
"That's your Shiden," Mari said to You. "It has a higher performance than your old unit."  
Mari pointed to one that's colored a pale yellow.  
"And Hanamaru, yours. Again, a custom unit with better performance."  
Hanamaru looked at the unit with excitedment.  
"It's the future, zura…."  
"I trust you'll be proficient at piloting soon," Mari said. "We are gonna take RIko back."  
She then walked away into a corner and pulled out her phone.  
"So, how's it going there?"

The Katyusha is currently in an abandoned lot. As per Mari's instructions Tsubasa and Nakajima welcomed the technicians Mari sent, to the confusion of all the other AKB members.  
"What are you doing to my Gusion?"  
Ryuko saw her mobile suit being dismantled by the technicians.  
"We're just giving it an upgrade, ma'am," the technician said, pointing at his clipboard.  
"On whose orders?" Kanata asked.  
"On mine." Tsubasa walked into the hangar.  
"I'm sorry for the confusion, everyone, but these people are here to help. I will explain later but I assure you they will give your suits a much needed upgrade."  
A technician was walking around looking at the people in the hangar.  
"Are you looking for someone?" Tsubasa said.  
"Ah yes. I'm looking for a Ms. Chieri Sono…"  
"Chieri? What for?" Tsubasa asked.  
"Well, this upgrade we are planning for her unit is a bit difficult. We will need her cooperation."  
"Understood. I'll send for her."  
The technician was satisfied and was about to go back to work when Tsubasa remembered something and called him back.  
"Yes. Ma'am?"  
"We have two more spare frames in the back… can you do something about them? We need to get them in fighting condition as well."  
Earlier Saint Snow has approached her, asking to be allowed to fight.  
The technician scratched his head. "That wasn't in the plan, but sure, we'll see what we can do," he replied.

Chieri was in her room, looking out the window.  
So much had happened ever since they arrived back in this time.  
But now, it was time to fight back.  
"Chieri…"  
It was Yuka and Orine.  
"Yes?"  
"Tsubasa asked for you," Orine said. "You're needed below for some upgrades to your suit."  
Chieri nodded. "Okay. I'm going."  
Yuka walked towards Chieri and looked her in the eye. "Nagisa didn't die for nothing. We are going to kick DES ass the way we know how."  
"Of course," Chieri replied. "We'll sing our hearts out."

DES WARSHIP

Kirishima didn't believe in wasting things. When his weapon Riko arrived back in the stolen Gundam, inside the cockpit was another girl. Riko didn't respond when asked who is it, so Kirishima just assumed it's someone who tried to stop her and got killed in the attempt. Riko didn't have time to dump the body, that's all.  
Kirishima immediately set his scientists to work on the dead girl, using notes left behind by his friend Dr. Shimada.  
Another thing he didn't waste was the Gundam itself. The Kimaris, while heavily damaged, is still operable, and is now being upgraded. He looked at the gundam now in its unfinished state. He may have lost the Reginlaze Julia, but this is a new opportunity.  
A soldier rushed to meet him and whispered something in his ear.  
When he heard what the soldier said it was all he could do not to shout from excitement. Finally. AKB is going down.


	22. Chapter 22

The recent attacks have left Uchiura abandoned. Many have left for their safety, fleeing elsewhere, afraid to lose their lives. A wise choice, in this case.  
There was a huge splash as something emerged from the ocean deep. A giant metal winged bird-like robot, bigger than any robot Uchuira had seen before.  
Above, in the safety of the DES warhip, Kirishima ordered his new weapon.  
"Fire upon the shore! Show those AKB fools that DES means business."  
"Roger that sir," one of the bridge crew asked. The giant weapon doesn't have space for a cockpit and is technically unmanned, but they were able to suppress the AI and install a control scheme.  
"Hashmal, firing beam weapon."  
From it's head the Hashmal fired, unleashing hell upon the small town.

Belowground, Everything was in chaos.  
In the weeks after Mari revealed her secrets, she had made a lot of effort to help AKB. The group's warship, Katyusha, was currently docked in the underground hangar. Mari was with Tsubasa and Honoka in the meeting room of the Katyusha, planning strategy when the alarm sounded.  
Mari immediately turned on the video screen and contacted the bridge. "What was that?"  
Nakajima looked like he had scene their doom. "I don't know what this is, but it's…"  
He displayed the image in the video screen, showing the giant mobile armor, it's laser destroying the shore.  
"What is that?" Tsubasa asked.  
"Some kind of mobile suit?" Honoka said.  
Mari moved backwards in fear. "They are playing for keeps this time. It's the mobile armor Hashmal…"  
"Hashmal?" Nakajima asked.  
"A weapon of mass destruction, built only to destroy… we have to stop it. Now. Or else not just Uchiura will be doomed."  
"Why? What else does it doe besides that giant laser attack?" Honoka said.  
"When the Hashmal is here, its servants are not far behind…"

Chika and the others rushed to their mobile suits.  
"The enemy finally appeared," she said as she booted up the Lupus Rex.  
"Let's show them what we got," You said.  
"Girls, let's be careful, okay?" Mari advised.  
Chika nodded.  
Tsubasa contacted them all. "Our AKB forces will launch first. Be a distraction so that we can safely launch the Kaytusha."  
"Roger that," Kanata said. "Are you ready girls?"  
"More than ever!" Mariko said.  
"Of course! I can't wait to try this out in actual combat," Ryuko added. Her Gusion had gotten a significant upgrade to make up for the heavy damage it took in the battles prior.  
"Seems like you're growing into the leader role," Yuuko said.  
"No, it's just-" Kanata hesitated. "I just have to do it. I'll prove that I can also lead like Takamina-san."  
The group, made up of NO NAME and the Sucessors, headed to the various launch catapults that are all around the base. These catapults lead out to various places in Uchiura.  
Kanata launched with Mariko and Ryuko in one catapult. "Here we go!"  
Kanata and Mariko launched in their Grazes, while Ryuko launched in her new gundam.  
"Let me see your power, Gundam Gusion Rebake Full City!"

The outside world looked like a disaster.  
Buildings were destroyed everywhere.  
"How horrible…" Kanata said.  
"To think that DES is capable of such things…" Chieri said.  
"Kirishima had gone mad," Nakajima said. He is seeing the video feed from the bridge. "Make sure to be careful, everyone."  
"Roger that," Kanata said. She looked at the giant mobile armor in the water.  
"Seems like it has a cooldown time before it can fire the laser again," Kanata said. This means we can use this chance to attack!"  
She immediately contacted the other forces all voer the island. "Mayuyu-san, please help covering us. Everyone else with a bazooka or sinper rifle, join in the distraction! Mariko, Chieri, Yuka, and Orine, with me! We attack while that giant thing is distracted!"  
Mayuyu nodded.  
Ryuko activated the Gusion's sniping mode, its head closing up."Fire!"  
The Rebake was armed with four rifles, and each one hit their mark, getting the attention of the unmoving giant.  
"That's it, this way!"  
"Face the full power of my Mayuyu barrage!" Mayuyu fired her bazooka and handheld missile launcher at the same time.  
Makoto and Suzuko, their Grazes also specialed for range, were also joining in the barrage. Both were armed with a huge anti-ship rifle.  
The hasmhal responded with firing its laser. The group dodged the attack.  
"Now!" Kanata said to her group as they drew nearer to the Hashmal.  
However the Hashmal had a trick up its sleeve. It's tail detached, becoming a whip, and attacked them with it.  
"What the-"  
The tail struck quickly, taking out one of the arms of Yuka's Graze and disabling Orine's Graze completely. Both pilots were fine, but Orine's Graze had its limbs destroyed and a huge gash in the cockpit. She had thrown herself in front of the tail to prevent Yuka from being hit.  
"Orine!" Yuka forced the cockpit open. Orine smiled and gave her a peace symbol.  
"Thank god you're okay," Yuka said. "I'lle get you out of here."  
Kanata and Mariko stood in front and started firing. "Go, we'll cover you!"

Despite Uchiura being abandoned, a lonely soul walked the back streets of the town. Takamina didn't know what to do. She left AKB on a whim, but now she realized she was wrong to dump that much responsibility on Kanata.  
She then saw the giant mobile armor and the subsequent launch. She recognized Kanata's Graze leading the charge.  
"Kanata…. You've matured in such a short time."  
Still she wanted to do something. She wanted to help.  
Suddenly she noticed a man standing in the alleyway.  
"Ms. Takamina, Ms. Ohara was looking for you," he said.  
"Mari-san? What for?"  
"She told us you might have need for something…."

The Hashmal was kept busy now.  
Tsubasa took a seat in the captain's chair. "It's time, everyone. Katyusha, launch!"  
the roof above the katyusha opened up as the platform above them raised. The Katyusha readied its engines as it reached the surface. A series of platforms connected into a huge platform, allowing the katyusha to catapult in the air.  
"Katyusha, launching!"  
The ship flew into the air and into battle, ready to take on the Hashmal.


	23. Chapter 23

Aboard the DES Battleship, Kirisihima watched as his new machine wrecked the town of Uchiura.  
Finding the legendary mobile armor, hidden underneath the ocean, was a stroke of luck. In truth, his ship was hurting, having damaged most of its fighting force during the initial attack.  
But with this discovery, Kirishima was confident enough to pour all their resources into fixing it. Never mind that they used most of their spare parts on it. The Hashmal itself was worth more than what's left of his mobile suit fleet.  
Of course as an insurance he also ordered fixing the damaged Kimaris.  
"Sir, enemy battleship has launched!"  
"It's time to get serious," Kirishima said.  
"Launch the Kimaris. Order the Hashmal to deploy its drone army!"

Tsubasa surveyed the situation.  
"We need to launch too," Honoka said.  
Tsubasa nodded. "Go. We'll provide cover fire."  
Honoka went down to the hangar where Aqours was waiting.  
"This is it, everyone. Let's do our best out there. Faito dayo!"  
All of Aqours agreed, with a chorus of "yes!"  
"I'm on point, everyone else follow my lead!' Honoka said as she went to the cockpit of her own Barbatos. Mari repaired the damages it took while Chika piloted it.  
"Let's do this. Honoka Kousaka, Barbatos, launching!"

Chika landed on the battlefield. Seeing the wrecked town made her sad and angry.  
"Now is not the time," You said. She landed next to Chika.  
"You-chan…"  
"We can always rebuild," You said. "But first we must stop that thing."  
"What's that?" Hanamaru said. The DES ship launched a mobile suit.  
"It's identified as the Kimaris. It's definitely using the Kimaris' fusion reactor," Mari said.  
"Is it Riko-chan?" Chika asked.  
"it might be, might be not. But only one way to find out. Chika, let's go!"  
Mari and Chika started flying towards the mobile suit when the Hashmal opened its wings and out came many little drone insects.  
"What are those?" Dia asked.  
"They're PLuma!" Mari said. "The Hashmal's most dangerous weapon. It can manufacture many drones and use it to overpower us."  
Indeed the plumas started to attack the AKB attack force, which was near the Hashmal.

Yuuko swatted one pluma after another using her sword.  
"There's no end to them!"  
Kanata has also resorted to using her axe, her gun having ran out of ammo.  
"What now? We can't focus on the Hashmal if we have these things distracting us!"  
The Hashmal was bombarded with a ranged attack once again, but it just shrugged them off before firing a blast at the ranged team.

"Incoming!"  
Suzuko, Makoto, Mayuyu, Sayaka and Yukirin dodged the blast, but the beam grazed Suzuko's Graze, destroying its leg.  
"We can't keep this up," Sayaka said. "Sooner or later, that thing will hit us…"  
"We're here to help!"  
Dia and Ruby had separated from Aqours to join up with the ranged team.  
"Thanks… eerr.. wow." Sayaka looked at the Gundam that was standing next to her. It was colored bright pink, with eyes painted on the V-Fin and back.  
"hey now, don't insult the Ruby-go!" Dia said.  
"Onee-chan!" Ruby said, embarrassed.  
"Come now, Ruby, you helped me choose that name! Be proud of it!"  
"but one-chan!"  
"Never mind that, you two," Yukirin said. "Plumas are coming towards us!"

Mari and Chika were flying high up, trying to reach the Kimaris. The Hashmal, as expected, sent a wave of plumas towards them. Mari's Gundam Bael was only equipped with a pair of swords which she was able to use to ward off the plumas, while Chika used the Lupus Rex's huge mace.  
"it's enough, we are going to get overpowered!" Chika said.  
Just then Kanan arrived, using the huge sword of her new suit, the Helmwige Reincar. Using the Grimgerde frame but trading speed for heavy armor, the mobile suit was a great choice to fight against the plumas. Its huge sword was also a good weapon to use.  
"I'll take care of things here," Kanan said. "Go to RIko!"  
"Kanan-chan!" Chika said.  
"Let's go, Chikachi. I trust Kanan, You should, too." Mari said confidently.  
Mari and Kanan shared a look, a silent message delivered; "don't die on me."  
Kanan readied herself for another wave of plumas coming towards her.

Kanata and Yuuko were getting overwhelmed. "Is this it?" Kanata said. "Are we going to go out like this?"  
"We'll keep at it until the end," Yuuko replied.  
At that moment they heard a song.

 _Advance forward! (Got it!)_ _  
_ _Don't you dare to halt! (Got it!)_ _  
_ _Our aim is that place where the sun rise_ _  
_ _Walk on the path of hope!_

"That voice… Takamina-san!" Kanata said.  
Takamina arrived with a blue and white gundam. It was armed with a very big sword.  
"Miss me?" Takamina said.  
"Takamina-san! You had no idea," Kanata said.  
"Im sorry, it must have been hard. But I'm here to help, not to lead. Its your time to shine now," Takamina said.  
"Where did you get that suit?" Yuuko asked as Takamina took out another Hashmal using the huge sword.  
"Mari's people gave it to me," Takamina said. "That girl, she's very good at reading people. Well then. Shall we go, everyone?"  
"Yes!" Kanata said. "Everyone, continue destroying the plumas!"

KATYUSHA BRIDGE

"Let us launch as well," Sarah said.  
"That's right," Leah added.  
The two were not deployed immediately for th battle. Since their addition to the team was last minute, their suits weren't done yet.  
Tsubasa checked with the hangar  
"How's the two Geirail units?"  
"They're good to go now!" one technician said.  
"Alright. Sarah-san, Leah-san, get ready to launch."

Finally Riko and Mari reached the Kimaris. It looked different now, with a larger lance and two shoulder binders.  
"It's you isn't it, RIko-chan? It's you!" Chika immediately said.  
"Go… away…"  
From the Kimaris came Riko's voice, confirming Riko's presence.  
"Riko-chan! Thank god-"  
The Kimaris attacked. It was so fast Chika had no time to react.  
Mari, however, was able to block the attack with her swords before kicking Riko away.  
"Riko-chan, what's the matter?" Chika said.  
"Looks like we have to beat her up first," Mari said, "Before she gets to be in a listening mood."  
The two prepared as Riko attacked once again.


	24. Chapter 24

The Hashmal was a difficult opponent.  
The powerful amor was made to be able to fight on its own without human help, and it shows-it's able to hold off an entire army trying to attack it.  
"We need a better plan," Takamina said as she destroyed another Hashmal with her sword. "Swinging around wildly isn't gonna help us."  
"What we need is a miracle!" Yuuko said. "This thing is invincible…"

Above in the sky, Mari and Chika confront Riko.  
Riko opened by firing shots from her drill lance, which has two built-in guns at it.  
Chika just ignored it and charged straight through, using her mace. Riko countered, blocking using her own mace and pushing Chika away befor charging forward, intending to impale the Barbatos with her lance.  
Mari jumped in at the nick of time, blocking the drill lance with her two swords.  
"Mari-san!"  
"No worries, Chika-chi. The Bael's swords are made of the toughest metal. They won't break that easily!" Mari attacked, slashing at Riko , but Riko blocked it using the shield arms on the Kimaris Vidar's backpack. Chika attacked once again, throwing her mace at Riko. Riko swiped it away with her lance, providing the distraction Chika needed, grabbing RIko's lance with the Barbatos' huge claws.  
Riko immediately activated the drill feature of the lance, the metal scrapping against the Barbatos' hands  
"Chika-chi!" Mari was worried that the Barbatos wouldn't hold on much longer. She decided to attack Riko as well, hoping that she would remain distracted by Chika. However Riko noticed her, and used her other hand to draw the Kimaris' katana and used that to block.  
"Such a fast reaction…" Mari said. "It should be impossible for someone to see and react to that! Then…" A disturbing thought was forming in Mari's head.  
Chika further attacked by using the Barbatos' tail blade, and Riko responded by using the shield arms to block.  
"Just a little further…" Chika was close to breaking the lance. Finally she succeeded, crushing the lance-along with the Barbatos's claws. The Kimaris, Barbatos, and Bael flew away from each other, regrouping.  
Now the Kimaris is armed only with its sword, while the Barbatos can only use its tail blade. Mari still has her two swords.  
"Chika-chi, I think RIko's not alone in there."  
"Eh? What do you mean?"  
Mari was talking to Nakajima about any secret projects DES might have.  
"Chika-san, listen," Nakajima said. "If I'm correct Kirishima used the AV-system on that machine. That means there's another mind inside there, so in effect its like two people piloting."  
"Then, who could it be?" Chika said.  
"Who else?" Mari said with a faint smile on her face. "Thank you for your help, Chika-chi. You did well, but now it's my turn. I have to bring back my fellow subunit members."

Mari decided to sing a familiar song.  
"Remember this song, Riko, Yoshiko? We were supposed to perform this together."

 _You're fragile_ _  
_ _You're fragile_

The Kimaris instinctively reeled back as its pilot heard the sounds, but that didn't deter Mari, who just kept advancing.

You're always scared while giving a smile  
I understand the feeling of not wanting to be hated  
That's why you won't say anything of the truth  
You swallow a single breath and endure it

Mari's song rang throughout the battlefield.  
Mari kept singing. The Kimaris decided to retaliate, attacking Mari with the Katana, but Mari just took the opportunity to sing even louder now that RIko was face to face with her.

 _Just stop it already and show your heart only to me_ _  
_ _I love your eyes that are about to cry_ _  
_ _And your defenseless, clumsy way of living too_ __

 _If we don't protect these fragile things, they will be broken_ _  
_ _I will always protect you, I will hold you tight_

The Kimaris became disoriented, and Chika flew behind the Kimaris, tying it using the Barbatos' tail whip. Riko tried to struggle, and it turns out the Kimaris is strong enough to fly even when tied up. The Kimaris flew, dragging Chika alongside her. Chika used the Barbatos' arm-mounted guns to shoot the Kimaris, hoping to stop it from flying. Eventually she used the sub-arms to grab the wire, and used it to push herself up, kicking the Kimaris.  
"Listen to Mari-san's song!" Chika said.

The kick seemed to stun Riko; she stopped struggling.

Mari kept singing, hoping to finally free her teammates.

 _You're fragile_ __

 _The hesitation you convey makes my chest hurt_ _  
_ _Some people just don't know what such kindness is_ _  
_ _But then I discover the truth_ _  
_ _When we got together, you don't have to endure anymore_ __

 _Right now, show your grief only to me_ _  
_ _I like that you think too much_ _  
_ _The complete opposite of me_

Inside the cockpit of the Kimaris Riko heard that familiar song. What was it… the title…  
A voice in her head told her. "Kowareyasuki."  
She recognized the voice as her girlfriend Yoshiko.  
"Yocchan… what are we doing here…"  
"Let's sing, Riri. Let's join Mari-chan."

Chika was surprised to hear not one, but two voices to come out of the Kimaris. One of them was Riko.  
The other was Yoshiko! She's alive!

 _Don't break these fragile, fleeting feelings_ _  
_ _I will always protect you, I will hold you tight_ __

 _Your heart is already injured from being afraid of getting hurt_ _  
_ _Were you waiting for me? I found your Real heart_

Mari smiled as she heard the two sing, and joined the two of them for the song's finale.

 _If we don't protect these fragile things, they will be broken_ _  
_ _I will always protect you, I will hold you tight_ _  
_ _Don't break these fragile, fleeting feelings_ _  
_ _I will always protect you, I will hold you tight_ _  
_ _Fragile love, fragile things_ __

 _You're fragile_ _  
_ _Fragile love_ _  
_ _You're fragile_

As Riko and Yoshiko sang, their memories came back, all the events that lead to them being on the battlefield now.  
Riko realized it. Yoshiko was dead. She killed her.  
"I''m sorry… I'm so sorry…"  
Yoshiko didn't know what to say as Riko started apologizing, covering her head with her arms.  
She realized she had been turned into some kind of AI. Well if that's the case, then maybe…  
"Riri."  
Riko looked up and saw Yoshiko's face on the Kimaris' display screen.  
"Yocchan…"  
"it's okay… it's okay, Riri. I know you weren't yourself back then."  
"But, Yocchan-"  
"Sssh," Yoshiko said. "I said it's okay. Okay? Don't worry. The great Yohane still loves you. Even though I'm now technically a robot."  
"Yocchan…"  
"It's okay. Now come on. We still have a fight to finish."  
Yoshiko shrinked her display to just a small portion of the screen, allowing RIko to view her surroundings again.  
Mari appeared in Riko's display screen.  
"Welcome back, both of you. Now let's kick ass."


	25. Chapter 25

Kirishima slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.  
"What the hell just happened? Get that idol bitch back under my control now!"  
On the bridge there was a flurry of activity as the crew tried to access the Kimaris Vidar's systems, to no avail.  
Suddenly on the screen an image showed up of that blue haired girl, what was her name? The one they used for the AV system. "You… you.."  
"The names' Yohane!" The girl said, striking a pose. "You're not hurting Lily anymore!"  
The screen went blank.  
"Sir, we've lost contact with the Kimaris. We can't reconnect…"  
Kirisihima gritted his teeth. "Damn you idols! Unleash the limiters on the Hashmal! Destroy them all!"  
The crew looked at him with fear. "But Captain, if we do that, we might-"  
"I don't care! DO IT!"  
The crew gulped. "Roger that, sir…"

On the battlefield, the Hashmal seemed to have powered down. The combatants stared at the huge metal beast with uncertainty, not sure what is going to happen next.

On the Kimaris' screen, Yoshiko had a satisfied look to her face with her arms to her sides.  
RIko, Mari and Chika were now descending to the ground, where the members of Aqours were waiting.  
"Now DES can't control you anymore, Lily," Yoshiko said. "I've used my new demonic powers to cut off their binds to us!"  
"How were you able to do that?" Riko asked.  
Yoshiko shrugged. "Comes with being an AI I guess? Does it matter, Lily? Now we are free!"  
Kanan greeted the group. "Mari! Everyone! You're all okay."  
"Thanks for keeping those plumas out of the way, Kanan!" Mari said. "I knew you could do it."  
"I did it, Kanan-chan! I helped save Riko!" Chika said.  
You, who was fighting below, noticed what was happening and flew upwards to meet them.  
"Chika-chan! RIko-chan!"  
"You-chan!" Chika said.  
You saw the damage the Barbatos took. "What happened? Your hands are destroyed!"  
"Well, I did what I had to do, hehehe…" Chika said.  
"Come on now, don't forget about me!"  
You and Kanan were surprised to hear Yoshiko's voice. "You're alive!"  
"Well, yes and no. The powers of darkness have resurrected me as an AI!"  
"Yoshiko-chan! You're alive zuuura!"  
Their display screens showed the cockpits of Hanamaru's shiden and the Flauros, where Dia and Ruby were sitting. "Zuramaru! Of course I'm alive! You doubt the great Yohane!"  
"Thank goodness!" Ruby said.  
"I'm happy you're both alive. But, Riko? Shouldn't you be saying something?" Dia asked. RIko had been silent throughout the whole thing.  
"I.." Riko began talking. She still had doubts. "I'm sorry everyone. For what I did, for the trouble I caused."  
"Buu buu desu wa," Dia said. "We forgive you. That's enough, Riko. We know you weren't yourself."  
"That's right! We still love you zura," Hanamaru said.  
"Don't worry, Riko. Nothing will change between us," You added.  
Mari smiled. "See, RIko? They forgive you. There;s nothing to worry about."  
"Thanks.. everyone…" Riko said.

Just at that moment the Hashmal suddenly came back to life.  
"Hey, hey, what the hell?" Kanata said as the giant started moving again. Plumas started rushing out of it's body.  
"It' become berserk!" Honoka said.  
"Everyone fall back!" Takamina ordered. The troops at the front line started backing away from the raging beast.  
Mari asked Dia now. "How is the loading of that missile?"  
"We're ready," Dia said. Launching right now."  
"Roger that," Mari said.  
"You have a plan?" Yuuko asked Mari as the plumas started to attack en masse.  
"I have a plan. Attack!" mari said as she charged forward at the Plumas, slicing them with the Bael's swords.  
"What kind of plan is that?" Kanata asked, but she joined in the attack anyway.  
"We have to stall until Dia and Ruby are finally on the field," Mari said. "There;s no other way but to keep it busy!"

Sarah and Leah were able to keep up with the more advanced suits used by their peers, using the lightly amored Geirails to make swift strikes. The members of NO NAME all banded together, each doing their best to ward off the plumas.  
Those with ranged weapons tried to distract the Hashmal itself, but with ammo running thin they had to be careful.  
RIko fought back with only her katana, while Chika has trouble fighting using only the tail of the Barbatos.  
Finally You and Kanan took Chik and asked for some cover. Mayuyu and Sayaka obliged.  
"What are you doing, You-chan, Kanan-chan?"  
"Battlefield, repairs," You said. "It's a good thing these frames are compatible!"  
You started to deatch the arm of her Shiden.  
"Come on, detach one of your damaged arms."  
"But You-chan!" Chika said.  
"No need to worry about me. But I'm worried about you. You can't fight like that. This will give you a fighting chance. Just let me do this for you, okay?" You said.  
You-chan…" Chika removed her Barbatos' left arm, replacing it with the much smaller arm of the shiden. Despite this the Barbatos had no problem controlling this arm.  
"But what about weapons?" Chika said.  
"That's what I'm here for," Kanan said. "My sword can do this."  
She detached the handle of the huge sword. "Here. Use it as a club."  
"Thanks, Kanan!" Chika said. Now that Chika is ready to fight again, the three of them join the fray, Kanan rushing to back up Mari while You and Chika stuck with each other.

Yoshiko and Riko were working in tandem, with Yoshiko serving as second pair of eyes, warning RIko and moving the Kimaris as necessary. Because of this the two were able to fight better.  
"Hey, this isn't so bad!" Yoshiko said as they dodged another attack.  
"You got used to being an AI fast, Yocchan!" Riko said.  
"Of course! You expect any less from me? I can conquer anything because of my demonic powers!" Yoshiko said as they countered an approaching pluma with the Kimaris' drill knee attack.  
"Riri, after this…"  
Riko knew what Yoshiko was going to say. If Yoshiko was going to stay an AI, she can never live a normal life.  
"Yocchan, no matter what form you take, I'll still love you. Don't worry."  
"Really? I knew you would, of course!" Yoshiko said.  
Riko smiled at that. The two continued fighting.

Mari overheard the conversation between Yoshko and Riko.  
"Those two should learn how to adjust the privacy of their transmissions," Mari said. "Thankfully I have something that will fit them just fine."  
"Mari?" Kanan asked.  
"Oh, nothing," Mari said. "Just something for those two lovebirds when we get out of this alive."  
"Just for them? What about us lovebirds?" Kanan said.  
"Oh, I have a special reward just for you!" Mari grinned.

The Hashmal was going berserk.  
 _Soon it will destroy everything,_ Kirishima thought. _Then I, Kirishima, will be known as the one who has destroyed AKB0048!  
_ Kirishima was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the warning his crew was telling him.  
"Sir, heat signature approaching, the Hashmal is-"  
The crew never got to finish his statement as the ship was obliterated by the Hashmal's blast.

"What happened?" Honoka asked.  
"It's gone berserk. It doesn't recognized ally or enemy anymore," Kanata said.  
"We need to destroy it now!" Yuuko said.  
Mari contacted Dia. "Where are you guys?"  
One of the underground hangars opened, and the Flauros and Shiden appeared, the shiden immediately assuming a postion to cover the Flauros.  
"Your savior has arrived!" Dia said.  
"Are those…" Riko said.  
"Dainslef bullets," Mari said. "They can destroy the Hashmal's tough armor. Wait how did you know?"  
" I have some bullet here with me too," RIko said. "Inside these shields. But they can't be much use because the launching mechanism, the drill lance was destroyed."  
"Well, what we have here should be enough," Mari said.  
"Let's go, Ruby!" Dia said. She transformed the Flauros into shelling mode, looking like a quadrupedal beast.  
Ruby took aim at the rampaging Hashmal.  
"Ganbaruby cannon, FIRE!" Dia ordered.  
Ruby fired the dainslef missiles, penetrating the armor of the giant beast.  
Although damaged, the Hashmal still moves.  
"It's not enough!" Hanamaru said in disbelief.  
"What are we going to do now?" Chika asked.  
Mari was trying ot think when Takamina approached her.  
"RIko, give me those bullets."  
"What? What are you planning?" RIko asked.  
"I'm going out there and ramming those bullets into that giant bird."  
"But Takamina, you'll-" Kanata tried to argue.  
"It's something I have to do," Takamina said. "I've stepped down as the AKB leader already; I've caused you enough trouble. At least now I can make up for my mistakes."  
"Are you sure about this?"  
IT was Tsubasa Katagiri, up in the bridge of the Katyusha.  
"Yes, I'm sure," Takamina said.  
"Very well. Godspeed. And thank you for everything," Tsubasa said.  
Takamina had a determined look on her face.  
Riko nodded. "Yocchan, unload the bullets. Give them to her."  
Yoshiko did as told. Takamina took hold of the bullets. "This is my last order to you all. Cover me as I make my way through. Don't let it get me. IT was an honor."  
"Roger that, Takamina," Yuuko answered. "We'll make sure you get to your target."

Takamina started flying towards the Hashmal carrying the dainslef bullets. Beside her Kanata and Yuuko were flying along, repelling any plumas that were trying to attack. The others were also following them, doing their best to distract the enemy. Finally they've reached close enough to the Hashmal, and the group stopped, allowing Takamina to go alone.  
"Goodbye, everyone." Takamina flew straight towards the Hashmal, destroying it with a huge explosion. 


	26. Chapter 26

ONE MONTH LATER

Uchiura is slowly recovering from the huge battle. Thanks to the Ohara family, funding was provided for the reconstruction of the various structures that were destroyed. Riko was walking along with Sarah and Leah, the other two victims of DES's schemes.  
"So, when did they get you?" Riko asked to the two.  
"Just recently," Sarah replied. "They attacked our house and abucted us."  
"It was… terrifying," Leah added.  
"We don't' really remember much from then on… just flashes…." Leah shivered from what she remembers. It wasn't pretty.  
RIko nodded in agreement. "I was abducted during the initial Tokyo attack. You could say I'm kind of a prototype? The process used on me was crude and it didn't leave me the same. After DES was defeated then I found myself back at home, with no memory of what happened. I could tell something was wrong, but I couldn't put a finger on it. It was only now, when DES made another attack…"  
"Yes, I vaguely remember that," Sarah said. "You were brought onboard the ship and your programming reactivated."  
"I felt… confused. The DES programming was overtaking me. I did very bad things..."  
"Didn't your friends all say they forgive you already? So come on, let is go already," Leah spoke up.  
"Leah! That was rude!" Sarah said.  
"No, no, your sister is right. It's something I have to live with."  
Finally the group stopped at the Awashima hotel. Even it wasn't spared from the destruction, large portions of the structure were destroyed. However the entrance to the underground base was still in one piece.  
Riko, Sarah, and Leah entered the elevator going down.  
They were greeted by Mari.  
"Riko!"  
"Mari, how's Yocchan?" Riko asked.  
"Straight to the point, as always!" Mari said. "Well come on Riko, follow me. You two are here for your check-up, correct? Just making sure DES hasn't left anything else inside you."  
Sarah nodded. "Although I have to say, I'm thankful they implanted all that piloting knowledge. It helped us to be more useful in the battle."  
Mari laughed. "True, true! Now you have the power to help people. Remember, I'm always open. Your suits are always waiting."  
"We'll think about it," Sarah said. "For now we want to focus on our recovery."  
The group moved past workers busy with various equipment. Some of the mobile suits are being repaired, and those that are already mobile were being used to help with the construction work. Yuuko waved at them from afar-she was talking with a group of mechanics about her Graze when she noticed.  
Mari waved back. "Really nice for them to help out," Mari said. "We're kind of short-handed here, since most of these people aren't pilots."  
Finally they arrived at Yoshiko's room. Mari opened the door and Riko rushed in.  
"Yocchan!"  
Sitting on the bed was Yoshiko, now in the flesh. She was moving her arms, as if trying to get used to her body again.  
"Riri! I feel sorry that you have to see me in this weak state, but-"  
Riko immediately hugged Yoshiko.  
"Ah, Riri! What-"  
"Yocchan! It's just… so nice to be able to hug you again like this…"  
Finally RIko broke off the hug.  
"It's really you, right?"  
"in the flesh! I'm the fallen Angel Yohane!"  
"Told you there isn't anything to worry about," Mari said.  
After the battle Mari proposed an experimental surgery, to transfer Yoshiko's consciousness into a kind of clone body. It's not exactly the same, but close enough. The risks were minimal but Riko was still worried.  
"It's just like her old body," Mari said. "I can leave you two alone and you can test it, if you like," Mari said, with a wink.  
Both RIko and Yoshiko blushed.  
"Mari!" Riko said.  
"Hahaha! What, too shy? Don't worry, we are friends! I won't tell anyone."  
"Mari!" Yoshiko said.  
"Fine, fine."  
Mari paused for a while before speaking again. "You do know DES might attack again? Unless we can do something to end them once and for all."  
"Yes. This time we're ready," Riko said.  
"That's right." Yoshiko added. "I'll be sure to pay them back."  
"That's good then!" Mari said. "Well, as promised. I'll be taking my leave now!"  
Mari winked at them and left the room, closing the door and locking it.  
"Well… now we can't be disturbed," Riko said.  
"We might as well, right?" Yoshiko said.

Mari walked away from the room and back into the chaotic hangar. Kanan was waiting for her. She had just done her shift helping the construction. Her Helmwige Reincar was built like a truck, and it didn't was barely scratched in the battle.  
"Kanan!"  
Mari sat down next to Kanan.  
"How are those two?" Kanan asked.  
"Oh, they're fine now," Mari said. "Let's leave them be."  
"I still can't believe it, that you were also doing this on top of being a school idol, being the school director."  
"Well that's Mari for you!" Mari said. "I can do many things!"  
"But it must have been hard, right?"  
"Well… yes, it was hard, trying to balance it all."  
"You should have just asked us." Dia approached them carrying cans of soft drinks.  
"Here's your drink, Kanan. And I got the feeling Mari would be here, so."  
"Thank you, Dia!" Mari said as she opened the drink and took a sip.  
"Really, if we only knew you were carrying this burden all alone."  
"Well, I didn't want to—"  
"Mari." Kanan spoke. "We're friends, we're here for you. And now that we are in this, we will make sure to support you the best we can."  
Mari looked at her girlfriend and best friend, and smiled, giving them both a huge hug. She couldn't have asked for better friends.

Kanata was sitting in the Katyusha's canteen.  
Although the mission had been a success, they had lost too much.  
"I see you're still doubting yourself."  
"Ryuko!"  
The dark haired girl sat down next to her. "Don't. Takamina gave you her position for a reason."  
"It's just… I'm not sure, now, that it's finally happening. What will we say back home? Will the people accept me?"  
"You're too nervous, Kanata!" Ryuko said. "Now, now. Let's not worry about that. It'll all turn out fine. Come on, we have to help with the reconstruction."  
Kanata nodded. She had to believe in herself, and be ready for any challenges that await.

Honoka was helping with the construction.  
Chika and You were with her. The trio were using their mobile suits to do the heavy lifting, while Hanamaru and Ruby provided refreshments for the other people working.  
It was time for Honoka's break, so she disembarked from her mobile suit. As she was getting ready to grab some refreshments though, she was approached by a tall man.  
"Who are you?"  
"That's not important. I have a proposition to ask. If you would just listen to me…"  
Honoka looked at the card the man had given him. _Shinji Ogawa._ Now what did this guy want with her…

"I regret to have to say this when you're still recovering from the passing of our allies, but we need to act swift," Tsubasa said as she faced the other understudies as well as the remaining members. While Yuuko and the others are helping out with repairs, I want to give you all an outline of the situation at hand.

"DES has started operating on human experiments and are even using viruses to turn our allies against us. Until we face this problem, DES will just keep on coming back for more.

"So, after the Earthers, including her, are dispatched, we will be using Kirara energy to bring us forward in time, a time even farther than our own. Our research has told us of the year 2069 and briefed us of DES' interactions with whoever lies on that year. That's our only clue and it's about only our last shot at stopping this once and for all. This may even lead to more casualties…

But I don't want you cowering in fear. What lies ahead is a future where music will live on in the hearts of people, a future where we sing and dance forevermore. So let's keep our heads high! We will fight and we will love. With our music. That's all."

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone shouted in unison, with smiles on their faces.

"You are now dismissed," Tsubasa said as she smiled back to each and every one of them. "You are all my children. As long as I live, not one of us will die. Not anymore…" she muttered and returned to her office.

As she returned to her table, Tsubasa looked at a picture of her, Maeda Atsuko, and another acquaintance of theirs, smiling like none of this trouble happened.

"That year… that era… is where you've been all this time."

She then gripped the frame in anger as she remembered everything that happened. She gripped the frame so hard that the glass protecting the photo cracked, seeming to separate the sisters from this mystery person.

Tsubasa steeled herself for this war. If this was going to be her final war, so be it. She was going to fight until her last breath. If it meant freeing everybody. If it meant doing justice against DES.

If it meant the rescue of—

*END*


End file.
